Timeline
by Martha8450
Summary: On September 11, 2001, Edward was traveling on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to New York and Bella worked in the South Tower of the WTC. Will they be able to survive our nation’s greatest tragedy?
1. Prologue

1

**Summary:** On September 11, 2001, Edward was traveling on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to New York and Bella worked in the South Tower of the WTC. Will they be able to survive our nation's greatest tragedy?

**A/N:** My goal with this story is to stay true as much as possible to what really happen on 9/11, although there will be changes here and there to some facts. For example, Flight 175 was not heading to JFK but to Los Angeles. For story purposes, I chose New York.

My heart goes out to the men and women who lost their lives that day and to the people they left behind…

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

I would like to thank Project Team Beta from Twilighted for their support! This story would be nothing without them.

**TIMELINE**

**Summary: On September 11, 2001, Edward was traveling on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to New York and Bella worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Will they be able to survive our nation's greatest tragedy?**

**Prologue**

September 11, 2001

9:10am

**Bella**

The smell of smoke assaulted me as I slowly woke from an unconscious blackness to a nightmare. I squeezed my eyelids tight as my head throbbed uncontrollably. Dust clogged my airway as I tried to catch my breath. What had happened? Why am I on the floor?

Before my eyes could fully adjust, a scorching pain spread across my back. It took me a second to realize I was on fire! Instinctively I began to roll back and forth, in an attempt to distinguish the flames. Debris was blocking me on both sides, limiting the amount of space I had to move. As my eyes further adapted to the scene around me, I realized that it wasn't debris blocking me, but two lifeless, broken bodies.

A shrill scream escaped from my mouth as I sat up and looked around. Ignoring my aching body, I staggered to my feet. To my horror, I realized they weren't just bodies, they were my coworkers. Some were crumbled on the floor at an unnatural angle. I squinted my eyes trying to see through the haze of smoke, I saw Marianne, the girl who works in the cubicle next to me, who appeared to be fine. _Marianne is alive!_ My heart felt relieved as I scrambled to get to her. "Marianne! Marianne! Can you hear me?" When I was almost to her, I tripped over an arm laying on the floor and landed next to Marianne. Lifting my head off the ground I expected to see her looking at me, but that was not the case. Marianne's eyes were closed and she looked like a sleeping angel except a filing cabinet existed where her lower half should be. My heart dropped and I felt sick to my stomach. Not wanting to see anymore, I turned my head away and got back on my feet.

I quickly surveyed the office, my eyes widening in horror as I realize everything had been destroyed. Cubicles were toppled over and desks lay in broken pieces on the floor. The ceiling had collapsed over a significant portion of the office, leaving the area that had once been the break room and the bathrooms, unrecognizable. I looked to my right and found that the elevators doors were missing. In their place were orange flames, licking their way along the inside of the elevator shaft. I started to gag on the black smoke that was slowly filling the office and decided make my way towards the stairs.

Swiftly I maneuvered my way through the office, climbing over desks and file cabinets as if moving across a mountain terrain. Tears trailed down my face as I felt my raw, slightly burned back scream as my shirt rubbed against it. My knees began to bleed as I scraped them against several desks. The unwelcome urge to give up was rising, but I suppressed it and kept moving.

Feeling like I was going to have an asthma attack, I decided to rest for a second. I crouched low to the ground in order to breathe in cleaner air. After a minute I decided to continue. As I made my way towards the exit I could hear the noise of debris falling, the sound of the fire raging and the screams of fellow survivors. All of the screams sounded so distant, so far away. There were no screams coming from my floor. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the wind rushing by the shattered windows. Had no one else survived?

Trying to escape the fire raging behind me, I slammed my body into the door that led to the stairs. The door burst open and the force of my body propelled me into the far wall, my head plowing into the cracked drywall. Grey soot rained down, covering me like a dirty blanket. I shook my pounding head to get the soot off, and my ears started to ring loudly. I noticed a trickling of warm wetness coming down my face. I stopped and put my hand on my forehead. I flipped my hand over and it was covered in blood. I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting the world to stop spinning for just a minute. The blood continued to come in unyielding waves from my forehead, despite my efforts of putting pressure on the wound.

Noticing there was a railing above me, I grabbed it and struggled to pull myself up. A shocking pain shot up my leg and I fell face first, tumbling down one flight of stairs and slammed into a wall. It knocked the wind out of me and I gasped for air.

I started to scream as my lungs recovered, made an effort to use my right elbow to sit up. It was useless. I howled in agony because my arm felt like it was broken in two. Sliding back on the floor in defeat, I began to sob as I realized that I wasn't going to make it out alive. Is this really how my life is going to end?

Suddenly on the stairs above me I heard what sounded like footsteps coming closer. "Help me," I groaned, with the last bit of energy I had. The footsteps paused with a slight hesitation before continuing.

A person appeared in the stairwell over me, and he froze. It was as if he didn't know how to proceed. Finally he cautiously approached me, and he looked to be uninjured. He had dark soot covering his face and grey dust all over his clothing, but there was no blood. There was nothing to indicate injury at all. How could that be?

He bent down and the fluorescent light behind him glowed. It was as if he was coming down from heaven. Is this the angel of death or my savior? As I felt his sturdy arms reach beneath me, I willed my eyes to open to look into the face of my angel as my whole world fades into a tunnel of darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

1All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Please review!

**TIMELINE**

**Chapter 1**

_"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain_." _George Orwell _

**6:35 am **

**Edward **

The woman behind the ticket counter fluttered her eyelashes at me as I reached for my boarding pass. "Is there _anything _else I can do for you?" she asked, using her obvious come-hither voice. "Like checking in those pants to see what's underneath them," she whispered to herself as she slowly let go of the pass.

I cringed and took the pass, making sure that I didn't touch the clueless woman. Her attempt at being coy was appealing yet repulsive at the same time. I shook my head. "No thanks," I muttered in a low tone, just loud enough for her to hear. I quickly started toward thesecurity check.Flying was a form of travel I did not enjoy. Having a high volume of people packed into such a confined space wrought havoc on my claustrophobic senses and increased the challenge to control my anxiety.

My flight went direct from Boston Logan to JFK in New York. My family had already arrived in New York for this impromptu vacation that Alice, my sister, had suggested two days ago. New York City was full of all kinds of people, from the super model gorgeous to the "I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-with-you-in-a-dark-alley." The streets were full of people hustling back and forth, yet an individual would feel completely alone.

I placed my wallet and cell phone on the conveyor belt for the x-ray machine to scan. A security woman with blonde, unevenly cropped hair watched me without even looking at the x-ray to see what items I had. She was so busy staring at me that she didn't pay attention to of some people behind me. I gathered my belongings and headed toward my gate after receiving the all clear. Once there, I briefly glanced at my watch -- 7:10 a.m. My flight was scheduled to leave at 7:58 a.m., so I was a little early.

Looking around the waiting area, I took a seat away from most of the people there without looking too suspicious. I then pulled my laptop out of my bag, and, moments later, I was greeted by the welcome screen. I didn't really have any interest in surfing the internet, but it's what most twenty-something males seem to do a lot of the time at airports. Plus, most people won't interrupt with mindless chatter if you looked too busy to have a conversation. I actually preferred reading a good book, but I risked the chance of someone wanting to start a conversation with, "What are you reading? Is that a good book?"

As I read the latest news on my laptop screen, a woman with a pink dress and toenails polished toenails to match stopped in front of the seat beside me. I, momentarily, glanced up at her with a furrowed brow. She sat down, oblivious to my intentions of not being social with others. With the grace of a monkey, she attempted to balance her beverage on the armrest and her beverage tumbled out of her hand. The cup hit the floor; Coke sprayed on the side of my leg, barely missing my computer. Great.

"Oh! I am so sorry," she said with her voice on the edge of quivering. I could tell this wasn't part of her plan in seducing me. She fumbled in her purse to retrieve some tissue. "Here, let me help you with that," she said, reaching to pat my leg dry.

I quickly stood up, my hand brushed off my slacks. "No, thank you. I'll run to the gentlemen's room." I hurriedly collected my things and headed to the restroom.

My steps echoed as I walked inside; the rows of sinks were never-ending. I walked up to the closest one and turned on the water. I watched the water swirl around the basin of the sink before it disappearing down the drain. It was a depressing sight to see. My life was kind of like this water swirling and swirling as if I could avoid the fate that awaited me.

I looked up at my reflection in the dust-covered mirror.

Most people view me as a guy that has it all-visual appeal and wealth. But those things don't guarantee happiness. I, for one, know this to be true. Couldn't they see that I lived in self-loathing, far from being content with life in this godless world? If they looked into my eyes, they'd seen the empty, soulless being inside. But humankind only noticed the outside; their shallowness and vanity appalled me.

With a sigh, I reached for a paper towel from the dispenser and patted my pants. They were ruined.

Once back in the waiting area, I stood against the wall. I tapped my foot as I ran my hand through my hair. _Is it time to board yet?_ I looked at my watch and it said 7:25 a.m. I continued to stare out the window, lost in thought as time slowly ticked by.

**6:35 am **

**Bella**

My evil alarm clock screeched in my ear as I opened my eyes to see the sunlight seeping through my window blind. 

_Shit! Is it time to get up already?_

Tuesday mornings were just as bad as Monday mornings. _One more minute,_ _please! _I groaned again as I turned off the alarm and rolled back over to hug my pillow. My muscles relaxed again as I settled back into my soft mattress. I loved the detergent fragrance that lingered on my pillow. _Just one more second in my own little piece of heaven. _ I sighed contentedly; there's nothing like lying in the safety and comfort of your own bed.

"Bella! You're going to be late for work again if you don't get up," Angela sang as she peeked through the door.

Angela has been my coworker, roommate, and friend for over two years now. I met Angela when I moved to New York. At the time, I lived in a hotel and looked for work for two weeks. Everywhere I went, employers wanted an employee with experience, and it was my first time looking for a job. I had taken a quick coffee break in Midtown on my way back to my hotel from yet another failed interview. I accidentally ran into Angela and nearly spilled my hot coffee all over myself. Three hours later, we were on our third cup of coffee and debating the pros and cons of the subway. I mentioned that I was still looking for work, and Angela suggested I check out the company she works for. A week later, I had the same job as Angela as a file clerk in her department. Angela saved me again when her lease was up a few days later and she offered to do the roommate thing. How lucky was I?

Angela and I prove the old saying, "opposites attract," with Angela's positive attitude and my gloom attitude on life. Angela was always cheerful and very giving. I, on the other hand, was not the most social person. I was so used to being alone and distant from everyone that others often times thought of me as a snobby bitch_. _I don't care much about what other people think of me and don't feel like I need to justifymy nature. Isolation, silence, and Jane Austin are my closest friends. I never had a friend like Angela. She looked through my wall of isolation and brought me out of my shell_. _She was like no one I had ever met.

"Bella! Did you hear me? We have to leave in ten minutes," Angela yelled as she yanked the covers off my bed.

"Okay! Geez, _mom_, I'm getting up," I said with a slight smile. Angela made a face and spun around on her heels, heading towards the living room. While it may seem strange, I sometimes enjoy Angela acting a little bit like a mother. When I was growing up, my single mother had to work two jobs for us to survive. I often had to take care of myself in every fashion: get up for school, make my lunch, and get there on time. Angela was more than just a friend. She was my best friend. I made sure to never take her for granted.

I rolled out of bed and longingly looked back at it. As I headed toward the shower, I picked up a pair of clean panties from the laundry basket. Once I shut the bathroom door and turned on the light, I inspected my reflection through my tightly squinted eyes.

I groaned when my eyes landed on my hair in the mirror. It looked like a tornado had blown through there overnight. I turned on the shower and blindly reached for a comb.

Since I was running late, I swiftly got out of my sweat pants and t-shirt. Two minutes later, I finished washing out the strawberry-scented conditioner in my hair and reached for my towel. I dried off before wrapping my towel around me.

I jumped as Angela yelled, "Five minutes!" through the door. Quickly I threw my wet hair into a ponytail and ran back to my room where I grabbed a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt, and a pair of black pumps.

I was ready for work with one minute to spare. Angela handed me a cup of coffee as I started to gather my things. "Don't forget your cell phone." Angela said as she handed it to me.

"I don't know why I have a cell phone. Nobody ever calls me," I whined.

"I call you," Angela said as she put her arm around me, giving me a slight squeeze.

"Yeah, but the only time I'm not with you is when Ben is in town."

Ben and Angela were high school sweethearts, and he was attending Stanford University in California on a scholarship. But he flew to New York at least every other month. Angela and I both went to New York University part-time on scholarships in the evenings after work. I was studying to be an English literature teacher. Angela was studying to become a photo journalist. It was hard for both of us to have a full time job and attend school, but we believed that it was worth it. We were able go to school for free and survive without the help of our families. Only a few more years and we would be done with our jobs as file clerks!

"Aww...cheer up, Bella! Maybe Ben will bring another really cute friend with him next time he's in town," she said as she winked at me. I rolled my eyes and gave her a goofy grin. She had tried to set me up with some of Ben's friends, but it never worked out.

Most of the guys that Ben introduced me to were not my type. Yeah, a lot of them looked good on the outside, but they had no depth. I had a few dates in high school, but the guys were even more clueless.

When I started college, I dated a guy I met in my biology class for a couple of months. He was just as inexperienced as I was in relationships, so it was a learning process for the both of us. I thought everything was going ok, until one evening he decided he wanted to go further than just kissing. I tried to gently guide his hand away from my pants, but he persisted. My internal alarm went off and I started to panic. I pushed him off of me, ran out the door, and never saw him again.

"Whatever, Angela. You know I'm doomed to be an old maid."

"Oh, Bella, you know that isn't true," Angela sighed as she locked the door. "Not all guys are jerks."

"I know, but it seems like the good guys are one in a million." We headed to the subway to begin another dull day at work.


	3. Chapter 2

1I'm sorry it's taking so long between each chapter. I'm starting from scratch as a writer so it's a learning process for me as I go.

I would like to give a shout out to Project Team Beta on Twilighted for their love and support. Jmeyer has the patience of a saint!

Please, pretty please...review here and if you are a member of Twilighted, PLEASE review once this story is published on that site. I am currently waiting for it to be validated there. I decided to go ahead and publish it here for my loving friends on FF!

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter 2**

"_And today September 11, 2001, the invisible shield which protected us from all the evil things that went on in other places around the globe was gone. War had come to New York City. And nobody even saw it coming."_ ~ Brendan Chellis, North Tower survivor

**7:30 am**

**Edward**

"Flight 175 is now boarding for JFK International Airport in New York..."Thefaceless voice announced over the intercom, "...and thank you for flying United Airlines**."**

_**Finally**_. I bent down to pickup my laptop, and stopped to see people shuffling toward the entryway. I waited a few minutes before getting in line. The flight attendant's eyes lit up as she stretched out her hand to receive my pass, her hand grazing my skin. With an expression of confusion, she instinctively jerked hand back. She stared at my pale skin with surprise. I knew I had to do something before she would say anything. I casually exhaled my breath to flow into her face; she instantly relaxed and motioned me forward.

I had been a vampire for almost one hundred years. In 1918, Chicago was hit with Spanish influenza. My human parents and I were among the unfortunate victims. It came upon us so fast that we didn't make it out of the house to go to the hospital. We were trapped in our home, with no one to take care of us. The housekeeper, cook and butler were already dead. Both of my parents passed away within days of becoming ill. I was left alone on the verge of death; I slipped in and out of consciousness for several days. When awake for brief moments, I screamed for help until I could no longer speak. I felt my body raging with fever, the droplets of sweat pouring down my face. My system started to shut down and total delirium took over. On my final night, I sensed an unknown presence in the room. I struggled to whisper, "Help me," but nothing came out. Defeated, I waited for death to arrive. As I took my last few breaths I saw, through blurred vision, a figure. I then felt a cold, gentle hand brush away my hair on the side of my neck. As if to whisper in my ear, they leaned over me. Within seconds, life as I knew it was over.

Time was one of the things I hated most about my existence, yet it was one of the many constants to my kind. Nearly all vampires had learned to exist for no other purpose than to satisfy their own selfish wants and desires. We acquired lavish possessions that had no use other than to be owned. Most vampires enjoyed this way of life; being carefree, traveling the world, being superior to humans. The money, houses, and cars-- it was all at our disposal. They were things to fill the emptiness we all felt inside. The void was never-ending.

I found my seat and settled in for the short flight. I closed my eyes pretending to take a nap, and sitting as close to the window as I could without looking utterly peculiar. As I ran the latest melody I created in my head, my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Alice. I was in no mood to hear her little voice telling me about all the wonderful shopping she accomplished so far while in New York. So, I turned off my phone, closed my eyes again and concentrated on my lovely melody.

I heard a sharp intake of breath as my melody ended. I looked up and saw an attractive woman walk toward me with a sly cat grin. I had seen this look before and I knew what was coming. I quickly retrieved my iPod from my pocket and placed the earphones in my ears. When she sat down, I knew she would do everything to get my attention. Sure enough, she "accidentally" dropped her cell phone on the floor. Bending over to retrieve it, I noticed her thong peeking out of her low-rise jeans. With phone in hand, she leaned back in her chair. I then felt the tip of her high heels graze my leg as she crossing and uncrossing them. While she tried to use all her moves, I continued to look straight ahead with my earphones on. She couldn't talk to me if I couldn't hear her. Oh, she tried to get my attention with waving her hand as if to say "hi", but I just ignored her. After many attempts she gave up and looked around to see whom else she could possibly attract. She stood up**, sauntered down the aisle, and sat next to a man in a business suit. I couldn't help but grin as she walked away. I once again closed my eyes. Humans are so dense.**

Although I had no reason to hurry, I still grew impatient. Humans only increased my irritation with their crying children and tiresome ways. Once again, I pondered the idea of how humans had managed to survive so long with their prominent physical and mental weaknesses. Vampires were far superior**.**

With all the humans I've encountered over the years, their actions were always the same. No matter how much a person had in regard to possessions or money, there was never enough. Greed was dirty, and humans immersed themselves in it. With the history of all their past wars, one might think that they would learn their lesson. What were the sayings? "Learn from others' mistakes. Don't let history repeat itself." Did people take hold of the opportunity with each generation to change the world and make it a better place to live? No. They made the same mistakes over and over again. It left me with nothing but contempt for them.

I felt a sudden jolt and opened my eyes in time to see a rather large man squeeze himself into the seat next to mine. I could tell he didn't want to sit next to me, but all the seats were taken. Usually whenever an unlucky passenger walked to sit next to me, they took a slight step back and looked around. Their human instincts screamed for them to get away, but they shook their head thinking it was just their imaginations. This man was a perfect example as he tried to sit as far away as he could to avoid contact**. **

After waiting almost forty-five minutes for the plane to take off, it finally started to move toward the airstrip. The man next to me took a piece of gum out of his jacket and shoved it into his mouth. His chewing quickly turned into smacking in my ear, I felt as though I would come unglued. I cleared my throat to get his attention; it didn't work. _Maybe I should shove that gum_ _down your throat to make you choke on it_. I cleared my throat for the second time, this time a bit louder and with a slight growl. He finally looked at me and I stared back menacingly at him. The man's eyes widened, his face turned ashen. He quickly swallowed his gum with a big gulp, gave a weak smile, and looked straight ahead without moving another inch.

**7:30 am**

**Bella**

Angela and I arrived a few minutes early to work, so we decided to hang out outside of the building. It was the prettiest day we had seen in a long time. Most days were gray and dull. Today the sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Who would have expected this in September in New York City?

Taking a quick look at the sky one last time, I walked with Angela into the South Tower of the World Trade Centers. I would have given anything to be able to play hooky and spend the whole day outside, but that wasn't going to happen.

Men with their ties and women in their high heels crowded into the elevator as Angela and I squeezed in. We both worked on the 83th floor so it took awhile to get there. I casually pinned a curl that was hanging in my face and placed it behind my ear as I waited.

As she often did when we went out together, Angela gave me a little nudge with her elbow along with a longing sideways glance at the hot guy next to her. I peeked at the guy through the hair that was hiding my face. _He was hot!_ I laughed to myself as I saw Angela wiggle her eyebrows up and down and licked her lips. She could be so bad sometimes!

The elevator doors opened as Angela and I pressed our way out of the elevator and into the hallway. With my usual grace, I walked to my desk on the north side of the floor. I often felt lucky to be seated near the windows and not stuck in a small gray cube with no view. I placed my purse in the top drawer of my desk and parked myself in my chair. The top of my desk was pretty simple; a small framed photo of my family, a Dilbert comics calendar, a desktop computer, and other essential office items.

I stared at the photo sitting next to my coffee cup. It was taken when I was first born, when my parents were still together. While my mother was practically like a child to me, Charlie was someone I barely knew. My parents were living in a small town in Washington when I was born. Soon after my arrival, Renee left Charlie and moved us to Arizona. When I was young, I would go visit him every summer. I started to see him less and less the older I got.

I never really got an explanation on why my parents split up. I could only assume the opposites attract notion didn't apply to them. I don't think Charlie ever got over my mom. On the rare occasions I would visit him over the years, he never once changed anything in the house. Photos from their wedding and the three of us as a "family" still stood on the fireplace mantel after 21 years of collecting dust. It was such a sad place to visit.

Angela and I worked for Newton & Scott Accounting Firm as file clerks. Mike Newton, the owner's son, was my boss. Mike was nothing special- brown hair, brown eye, and pudgy in the middle- but he wasn't lacking in the self-esteem department. He flirted with anything in high heels. For whatever reason beyond my comprehension, girls actually fell for his slimy comments. The only thing I could think of, when they looked at him, was the wealth and opportunity, not looks and personality. I loathed how Mike was constantly coming-on to me, but I felt I could handle him.

Mike's assistant, Jessica, was a total bitch. Unfortunately for me, she and Mike were both my bosses. It seemed like her goal in life was to take every possible opportunity to make my life miserable. In fact, Jessica and Mike were secretly dating. Well, it wasn't exactly a secret since everyone knew about it, but everyone kept up the facade. Every time Mike flirted with me in front of Jessica, she slammed her desks drawers or the phone. Most of the time, I recoiled at the thought of what she might do or say when Mike left my desk. Once in a while, I smiled with the knowledge that it got under her skin and there was nothing she could do about it.

Angela's boss, Victoria Scott, was Mike Senior's business partner. Working for Victoria was like working with an ice princess. Victoria was a beautiful woman with her long wavy hair as red as a fire engine truck. Her bright green eyes were covered in long thick lashes that fluttered when she would want her way with a man. That worked 99.9% of the time. On the other hand, it was a totally different situation if you were a woman. Oh, Victoria could be sweet as pie when telling you to do something, but double cross her and your butt would soon be out the door. How Angela managed to work for her was beyond me.

Victoria's assistant, Lauren, was best friends with Jessica and just as snobby. They took every break, bathroom run, and lunch together. They spent hours gossiping to each other through email. You knew they were talking about you when they both looked up from their monitors and stared daggers at you at the same time.

With a sigh, I reached over and turned on my computer. As I typed in my password, I caught sight of Mike walking toward my desk.

"Good morning, Isabella," Mike said as he leaned over my desk. Mike took every opportunity to get as close as possible to me. Once, I could almost swear that I heard him trying to inhale my scent. Gross!

Even though everyone in the office called me Bella, Mike insisted on calling me Isabella. "It sounds more intriguing," he always said. It gave me the creeps.

"Hi, Mike," Icalmly replied as I tried to look busy.

"Have you completed the Ferguson Report from Monday?" he asked, as he leaned further in until he was practically breathing down my neck.

"No, but I will finish it before lunch," I replied as I stood up and subtly began backing away from him. Giving him a slight smile, I swiftly walked to the fax machine room on the west side of the floor.

"Ok…well, don't keep me waiting too long!" he yelled across the room.

I felt my face turned red from embarrassment.

Why does he have to do that in front of everyone?

When finished, I had to walk past Jessica's desk in order to get back to my own desk. I pretended to review the paperwork in my hand as I walked by, praying she wouldn't say anything. God didn't feel like answering my prayer at that moment.

"Hey, Bella. Mike wants these filed ASAP this morning," Jessica said nastily as she pointed at the huge stack of folders lying on the floor. I knew that I had until Friday to complete that task, but I didn't have the ability to argue with her**.**

"Okay, Jessica. I'll get right on it," I said, with a completely fake smile on my face. I knew if I didn't give her the reaction she wanted, it would make her even more furious. Two can play that game.

Jessica huffed and puffed and went back to work.

When I handed Angela Victoria's mail, I winked at her and she giggled. No matter how unpleasant my other coworkers were to me, Angela always made my day less dreary. I strolled to my desk humming a tune. Today may not be such a bad day after all.

____________________________________________________

A/N: I don't know why there is a section of a sentence on here that is bold. I can't get it off my document. Please ignore it!

Now I will constantly check my email for the next few days for comments and reviews. Every time I get an email stating I have a new review, I get excited and nervous. It's like opening a Christmas present. I can't help it!


	4. Chapter 3

1

_**A/N: sorry if you receive notice on this chapter several times. I'm having downloading issues.**_

**Chapter 3**

_**Angels scream from above**_

_**Too late to save us all**_

_**They fall to their knees**_

_**And beg God, "Please…" **_

_**~~ Rayna Hopkins (martha8450)**_

**8:37 A.M.**

**Bella**

Have you ever wondered how each decision you made in the past led up to where you are now?

What if I turned left instead of right? What if I had stayed in Arizona instead of moving to New York City? Would I have met the perfect guy?

After filing the documents Jessica given me, I signed onto my computer. I had close to twenty emails waiting for me to review. I didn't feel like getting to them right away, so I signed onto our company's instant messaging system.

**BS:** Hey, Angela! How's ur day going?

**AW:** It's going ok. Victoria is in meetings all day so it should be pretty easy. And u?

**BS**: Not too bad. Jessica had me do some tedious work first thing when I got here. I think Mike will be in meetings most of the day, too.

**AW: ** Oh! I have something to tell you. I wanted to wait until we got home tonight, but I can't wait any longer. I talked to Ben last night & he is comingto town this weekend. He wasn't supposed to come back for another month, but he insisted on coming this weekend. I THINK he might propose to me when he gets here!!

**BS**: CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so excited for u! Do u need for me to stay somewhere else so u can have the apartment for just the 2 of u?

**AW**: No, actually he wants to stay at this really expensive hotel for the weekend.

I really, really, think he's going to do it! I'm so happy!

**BS: ** Awww…I bet this will be the best weekend of your life. How romantic!

"Isabella, can you come to my office for a second," Mike said as he stuck his head out of his office.

**BS**: The boss man is calling. Gotta go!

**AW: ** Ok.

I locked my computer and headed to Mikes office. As I walked by, Jessica gave me the most insincere smile. _Uh, oh._

I walked in and looked around the room. It was decorated to the nines. Imported Italian leather couches aligned the wall. Paintings worth thousands of dollars gave a sense of power to the room.

"Yes, Mike?" I asked.

He waved to the seat in front of his desk. "Close the door and take a seat."

I hesitated before I sat down. His voice sounded different and it caught me off guard, so I braced myself for the worst.

He paused for a moment. Leaning back in his chair while fiddling with his fountain pen, a slight sneer formed from his lips. He then cleared his throat and put on his serious face.

"Isabella. You know that we appreciate your time here at Newton and Green, but something has come to our attention that we need to discuss."

_What? What is he talking about_?

"I don't understand," I stuttered.

"Well, Isabella, we were informed earlier this week that you had falsified your time reports for the past several months. At first, I didn't believe the allegations. But when we looked into the accounting system it shows that you were paid for overtime a couple of days each month that didn't match up to our records."

"But, I didn't do it, Mike" I blurted.

_I can't believe this is happening. Were the gods playing a cruel joke on me? Why now?_

"Now, Isabella, I understand that you are upset, but it is what it is, and there is nothing I can do about it. On the bright side, I was able to convince my father to not press charges against you," he said as he stood up to look out his window.

_Geez. Thanks._

"We would like for you to finish out the day and do some training for your replacement, but I understand if you want to leave right away. But if you leave now, you'll be docked today's pay."

"You want me to stay for the rest of the day? Are you kidding me? I know my job isn't all that difficult, but to train a person in just a few hours is impossible. Mike, you know that I wouldn't lie on my time reports! I'd never missed a day of work, and I'm always on time. I've always worked the same schedule since I've been here, so what has changed on the reports? I want to see them! Someone had to had set me up!," I yelled with my hot tears streaming down my face.

Mike closed his eyes and sighed as if he were collecting his thoughts. "Look, Isabella. I'm sorry. Like I said, there is nothing I can do. My hands are tied. Do you plan on staying the rest of the day?"

"Yes," I said reluctantly. I needed the money. I turned on my heels before I said something I shouldn't.

I staggered back to my desk stunned; I could feel more tears welling up in my eyes. I hated crying, but sometimes it was something I couldn't control. I leaned forward in my chair and pretended I needed something in the bottom draw of my desk. I discreetly used my sleeve to wipe away my tears.

I took a deep breath and lifted myself back up. A few people walked by with a questioning look on their faces. I could tell that they wanted to either comfort or ask me what was wrong. But they didn't. That's not something a person does with a distant coworker, it would be too uncomfortable.

How did this happen? I know that I didn't steal anything. Where's the real proof?

Anyone could have changed my time in the system. I had always been a good employee, I thought. Why didn't Mike believe me?

Someone purposely did this to me, and I bet I could guess who.

I turned and looked at Jessica typing away on her computer. She stopped in mid stroke, sensing that I was glaring at here. She slowly looked up at me with a nasty smirk on her face and

I met her eyes. They said, "I did this to you, and I'm so happy! Sucker!"

That stupid bitch set me up! I knew that she didn't like me, but to hate me so much that it cost me my job was just unbelievable. I was so full of rage, I wanted to punch her and leave. But, I had bills to pay; I needed every penny I could get from working the next few hours.

All I could do at that moment was to stare at my computer in a daze. I heard the "ding" on my computer which let me know I had received an instant message. I blinked my eyes and scrolled down to see it was Angela.

**AW: ** Bella… What is wrong? I can see from over here that ur really upset!

**BS:** I can't talk right now. Maybe during lunch?

**AW:** Are u sure? I don't mind coming over there.

_BS:_ I'm sure. If I tell u now, I will just lose it!

**AW: ** Oh, Bella! PLEASE let me know if u need me.

**BS:** I will. Thanks.

**AW:** Lauren just asked me to go to the other building to run an errand for Victoria. See ya at lunch.

**AW**: U know I luv u, right?

**BS:** Yes, I know. I luv u, too. See u later.

I closed my eyes for a few moments and sighed_. "I can make it until five o'clock. Just keep busy and don't look at anyone," _I thought to myself while calming myself down.

I opened up my email inbox on my computer and started to read through emails. I could just ignore all of them and leave them hanging. No, that wasn't me. I would act professional.

My instant messager dinged again. It was Jessica.

**JS:** Hey, Bella.

**BS**: what?

**JS: ** Heard you were fired. Is that true?

**BS: ** It's none of your business, Jessica.

**JS: ** From the looks of you, it seems like it is true. Too bad….

**BS:** Yeah, whatever…

**JS**: Well, I'm sorry you are leaving.

_Okay. That was it! I'd enough of her bullshit_!

**BS:** Fuck off, Jessica.

I heard her from across the room as she gasped.

**JS: ** What did you just say to me? I could so get you're fired! Oh, wait...your

already fired. LMAO!

It was like a slap in the face. I decided to throw my professionalism out the window and give her a piece of my mind. I wouldn't let anyone treat me like that, especially Jessica.

I stood up, my fists curled up tight against my legs. I was so furious, I felt like steam was coming out of my ears.

I took a step toward her desk. Jessica squinted her eyes at me; she knew we were about to rumble. Then in an instant her expression changed from anger to confusion, and I noticed she was staring past me. It took me a second to realize there was a screeching sound coming from behind me. Was that sound missiles? That's impossible! I instantly spun around in time to see the world explode before my eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------

**7:30 A.M.**

**Alice**

_Why hadn't I seen this sooner? What was wrong with me? This has never happen before._

_I had failed my beloved brother._

Monday night had been superb. Early in the evening, Jasper and I went to the most exclusive boutique in New York called _Wicked_. I had special connections to get into this place. My friend, Claudia, was part-owner and reserved evening appointments only for her vamp clients.

After a few hours of shopping, we headed to the hotel to shower and change clothes. Since it was my birthday, I got to drag Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie to all the dancing clubs in the city.

Well, it wasn't my _actual_ birthday.

I don't recall when I became a vampire, at all. During my early years as a vampire, I only vaguely remember walking the city, mostly in a daze, not knowing where to go. Often times, I had to isolate myself from others because my visions made me seem like a crazy person. Once on a cloudy afternoon, I sat on a park bench to watch some children play. I had a vision that a man in a dark hooded jacket would kidnap a little girl with blonde curls. I snapped out of it and ran to the girl yelling for her to watch out. The man froze before getting too close to her and walked away. The mother scooped up the little and held her tight, yelled for me to get away from her daughter. I tried to explain what I saw, but she started to scream for help, so I ran away in frustration.

Being alone for years was sometimes so unbearable that I wanted to end it all. The only thing that kept me going was my frequent visions of a boy with blonde wavy hair and deep blue eyes. I didn't know when he would appear, but I knew it would eventually happen. That gave me some comfort.

One evening while sitting against a wall in a dark deserted alley watching the humans stroll by on the sidewalk, I heard someone quietly come up from behind. I instantly went in in my attack stance, looking up at my potential assailant. I froze. Standing in front of me was the blonde hair boy that I always dreamed about. His eyes widened in astonishment. An overwhelming sense of calm came over me; my body felt this magnetic pull that I couldn't control. I ambled my way toward him, standing within inches of his touch. I gazed into his eyes, smiled and stroked his cheek.

"Hello, love," I said in a breathless whisper.

"Hello, Ma'am. I…well…," he stuttered, not knowing what to say.

I placed my finger on his lips. "Shush…it's ok. I've waited a long time for you to find me."

A grin appeared beneath my finger, and he gently wrapped his arms around my waist. I removed my finger from his lips as he tilt his head down to kiss me. We had been together ever since.

From then on we decided that day, September 10th, was my birthday.

When it was time for sunrise, we finished up at the club and went back to our hotel rooms. I was anxious to sketch out some of the designs I saw from the previous day, but first I wanted to call Edward to make sure he was set for his flight.

"What's up, big brother?"

"Hello, Alice. Right now I'm packing up my suitcase. Is everything alright? "

"Yes. I just miss you and can't wait to see you again. Oh, I have to tell you about the shopping yesterday. It was fabulous!"

"Alice. I am running a little late. Can we talk about this later?"

"Okay. Can't wait to see you! I love you."

"Okay, Alice. I love you, too," Edward sighed. He didn't say those three little words to just anyone. "Oh, and happy birthday."

_He remembered._ "Thank you, Edward. See you in a few hours."

I hung up the phone and tossed it into my purse. I pulled my sketch book out of the closet and set it on the table. Nowadays, most people drew their designs on computers, but I felt most creative when doing it by hand. I guess I am a creature of habit.

I skipped over to Jasper, who was lounging on the bed reading a book about the Civil War and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" He asked as a grin spread across his lovely face.

"Oh, nothing. I just love my Jazzy Bear," I said in my cutest baby voice.

He rolled his eyes. He hated that pet name, but he'd never told me to stop saying it. I always got my way with my puppy eyes and pouty lips.

I winked at him as I walked over to the desk and commenced to working. After a couple of hours, an abrupt force struck me so hard that I fell backwards onto the floor. What the fuck? This had never happen to me before. Yes, my visions made me stop what I was doing, but it's never anything physical.

Suddenly, a wave of heat like fire swept over me from head to toe. A shrilled cry escaped my lips as I thrashed on the floor in horror. My skin felt like it was peeling from the flames, there was no escaping it. Was this what it felt like to die?

Jasper scrambled out of bed and got on his knees.

"Alice! Alice! What is it, darling?" He gasped as he shook me furiously.

I couldn't wake up from this nightmare no matter how hard he tried. I could hear him like he was in a tunnel, and I wanted to scream "Help me", but my vision had me paralyzed in pain. It was like I was in a fog, and I couldn't completely come back to reality even though I was aware what Jasper was doing.

Within seconds, Emmett busted through the door with the rest of my family trailing behind him.

I heard my mother gasp as she ran into the room.

"What's wrong, Jasper? Is she in pain?" Carlisle, my father, asked as he knelt down beside me.

"I don't know! I think she is having one of her visions, but this time it's something physical. I can't get her to come out of it," Jasper said as he now tried to hold me down in one place.

"Carlisle, please do something!" Esme, my mother, screeched. Esme was always gentle and kind. I don't know if there had ever been a time when she had yelled at him in such a matter.

"Sweetheart, I don't think there is anything we can do. We'll just need to make sure we keep her from lashing into the furniture until the vision ends. Emmett and Jasper, move all the furniture away from this area."

"Oh, Alice…," my mother wept.

Suddenly, fire released me, my body trembled in relief. The vision switched over to men of Arab descent whispering in a language I didn't understand. They appeared to be in an airplane cabin. In the back of the plane, it was obvious that Edward was oblivious to what was happening. My vision flashed again to two of the men catching the pilots by surprise. With a look of resolve, the hijackers took used box cutters to slit the pilots' throats within mere seconds. The killers threw the bodies to the floor, climbed over them and seized control of the plane. My vision then returned to the view out the window of the cockpit. Suddenly, the tallest buildings in New York City came into view.

_Wait! We are getting too close to them. Oh, no!  
_

_**THEY ARE GOING TO HIT WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS!**_

I wanted to reach out and make them stop, but I knew that was impossible.

The two men seemed to be chanting something; I turned again to look out the window. I could see the plane's reflection in the tower's windows as its nose began to shatter them.

"Edward…Edward…Edward," I wailed over and over as I came back to reality. I opened my eyes and looked up to see my family standing over me with a look of panic.

I had to call Edward before he boarded the plane.

I jumped up and ran to retrieve my cell phone from my purse.

"Alice, honey, what is going on," Esme cried, "Is there something wrong with Edward?"

"Yes…he…hijackers," I stuttered as I dialed his number. _Please, please answer!_

"Hello. This is Edward Cullen. Please leave a message," his voicemail stated.

I dialed again and again. It went straight to voicemail each time.

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING," I screamed in agony, falling to my knees.

I slipped into my vision again as the windows in our hotel room shattered along with my heart.

I was too late – it was done.


	5. Chapter 4

1**WARNING! This chapter talks in detail about people jumping from the North Tower. Please do not read if you think it would be too much. I did a lot of research for this chapter which caused me to have one of my mini-depression episodes for a few days. So I hope you know how serious I take 9/11 and this story. Please don't send me hate mail. **

This chapter is dedicated to "The Falling Man" and the 200 others who fell from the sky on that horrible day. "The Falling Man" photo was shown around the world on September 12th and then never shown again. Yes, it is hard to look at as well as the other photos, but it shows how truly desperate people were in that situation. Each fall lasted 10 seconds. We can not possibly imagine what it felt like to decide to jump or burn to death.

There was a documentary made about "The Falling Man" if you would like to watch it. It is very moving and emotional. You can find it on Youtube under the title "9/11 The Falling Man"..

"The photo was the defining image of September 11th."

"They (the jumpers) were the only visible fatalities of that day that claimed thousands of lives."

Many thanks to PTB!

I don't own Twilight, but Twilight owns me.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Previously...**_

_**Chapter 1**__: 6:35 Edward arrives at airport & waits. Bella gets ready for work._

_**Chapter 2:**__ 7:30 Alice tries to call Edward, but he turns off his cell. He boards plane. Bella and Angela arrive at work._

_**Chapter 3**__: 8:37 Angela goes to the North Tower to run an errand. Mike fires Bella; she realizes that it was Jessica who set her up. She was about to confront Jessica, but then she heard the plane._

_7:30 Alice has a vision about the hijackers and Edward's plane crashing into the South Tower. She tried to reach him, but it went straight to voicemail. She was too late...it was done._

**We stand, as it were, on the shore,**

**and see multitudes of our fellow**

**beings struggling in the water,**

**stretching forth their arms, sinking,**

**drowning, and we are powerless to**

**assist them. ~~ Felix Adler**

**8:46 am**

**Bella**

_I may not know what hell is like, but I am pretty sure this is the closest thing to it._

Bright orange detonated before my eyes as a blast of heat knocked me off my feet. My face felt like it had been slapped by the sun. My head made a thud sound as it slammed on the floor, pain exploded inside it. With papers swirled around me, I laid there confounded. It was as if everything was going in slow motion.

Then panic awakens me from my stupor.

I immediately jumped to my feet, wincing when a slight pain shot through my back. My head was spinning. I paused and waited for it to stop. People were crying all around me, some were pointing to the windows with a look of sheer terror on their faces.

With my mouth hanging open, I saw that none of the windows were broken. Whatever caused the explosion had to be so intense that the heat from it seeped through our windows and knocked me to the ground. What in the hell was it?

I looked to my left and saw Jessica still sitting at her desk, her hand covering her mouth as if to hold back a scream. She looked like a statue frozen in time. I wondered, for a moment, if she was actually breathing. Papers on the floor surrounded her.

I suddenly thought of Angela. I looked across the room at her desk. She wasn't there. Panic took over. She had to be around here somewhere. Oh, no!Earlier she went to the other tower for Victoria. _Please, God, don't let her still be over there!_

I raced toward the windows. Several others were already there, with their noses pressed against them. I found a spot and looked up to the heavens above.

My heart dropped, I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.

It was almost like confetti from a parade raining from the sky. Instead of little papers of confetti, there was debris, smoke and fire. I also saw something that didn't make sense, to what looked like thin rag dolls falling to the ground. Where were they coming from?

I looked up at the North Tower's higher floors across the way. Smoke covered the sky as if it were night. The fires raged out of the gaping holes, trying to leap across to my building. I felt as though I was watching a live horror movie that I couldn't stop, rewind or fast forward.

Just beneath the smoke I observed what looked to be white flags waving from the shattered building. I realized that people were waving their shirts, not flags. They were awaiting rescue. A movement to the left caught my eye, a man was climbing out of his window reaching for the steel column. He looked like he was trying to scale down the build, but lost his grip and fell backwards. It was as if he was one of so many raining down from the sky. It was completely horrifying and I had to grab onto a chair so my knees wouldn't give out. I closed my eyes trying to hold back a scream, it was so surreal.

People in the office gasped and whimpered with each jump.

Was their only choice to burn to death or jump?

_How could this be happening? What were their last thoughts? Were they begging God to please save them? Did they believe Jesus would catch them at the end and carry them up to heaven? Were they thinking of their loved ones? I don't think I can take much more of this!_

I heard someone yell, "Get away from the windows!" But, I couldn't move. The scene was too unbelievable. I wanted to turn away from the horror, but I just couldn't do it.

_This was so unfair!_ I started beating the glass. "Someone do something, please!" I howled.

_Someone had to save them! Where were the helicopters? Don't they have rescue teams trained for this type of crisis? _

The shock was then replaced by fear.

_Angela! Did she make it out before the explosion? Was she instantly killed? Wounded? Was she one of the jumpers? Oh god, Angela, please be alive! _

Angela was my rock since the day we met. After we moved in together, she had often comforted me every time I woke up screaming from a recurring nightmare. Sometimes it would take her several moments to make me realize I was in my bed and it was just a nightmare. She would spend the rest of the night rocking me in her arms trying to get me to fall back asleep.

Angela not only helped me with my nightmares, she also comforted me when I was at my lowest. Last summer my grandmother passed away from breast cancer. Grandma had moved to Phoenix soon after my mom and I arrived. With my mom working all the time, Grandma had been practically my mother and babysitter. With her passing, I felt like a part of me died also. I felt lost and didn't get out of bed for a week. Angela gave me encouragement and took care of me right after work each day. She even spent the whole weekend with me even though Ben was in town. She was an awesome friend and I couldn't handle to loose someone else that I cared about. That would just send me over the edge.

With images that would last me a life time of the world on the other side of the window, my forehead fell against the glass. I closed my eyes, it was so unbearable. A wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I began to dry heave, I wanted to purge out the sickness that surrounded me.

I collapsed to my knees and sobbed hysterically. My whole body felt like it was in one big knot, my heart ached for Angela's voice. I needed for Angela to be alive and I needed for this not to be real.

A voice came over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. Building Two is secure. There is no need to evacuate Building Two. If you are in the midst of evacuation, you may use the re-entry doors and the elevators to return to your office. Repeat, Building Two is secure."

The building is secure? Secure from what?

A sudden presence engulfed me with their arms. I leaned into the embrace, not knowing who held me.

A hand smoothed my hair as a soothing voice whispered in my ear, "Shh...It's going to be ok, Bells." Only two people in this world called me Bells. My dad and ..._Angela_.

"Angela, you're alive," I bawled. I reached up and hugged her neck, I never wanted to let go.

"How...what..," I stammered unable to form a sentence. She gave me a slight squeeze and released me.

I looked up to see her tears flowing down her angelic face.

She gingerly swept my hair away from my eyes. "Bella, Eric met me in our lobby instead of me going over there. I was about to head to the elevators when the plane hit," she said as a shiver ran through her body.

_Plane?_

"Wait...what? It was a plane?"

A hush fell over the room.

"Um...yeah. It looks like a plane accidentally struck it," she said as she scanned the room to see everyone's eyes widen with fear.

_How could that be? How can you accidentally hit one of the tallest buildings in NYC?_

"Bells, we need to get out of here," she said in an urgent voice.

"But they said to stay," I cried.

"I know, but I talked to a man downstairs and he urged me to evacuate as a precaution, but I couldn't leave my best friend behind." She gestured for us both to rise. My legs were wobbly for a second.

"Angela, there are people jumping from the other building," I cried softly in her ear.

"I know. Before I got back on the elevator to come get you, I heard some of them slam into the ground. We all jumped and turned around to see what it was," she sobbed, "There were people all over the Plaza. They just kept coming and coming. It…was awful, Bella. I'll never get that sound out of my head," she whispered with a far away look in her eyes. "I don't know why this is happening and I don't know if I can take much more," her voice quivered as she wiped her eyes and gave me a quick squeeze.

I took one last look at the windows and followed her.

"I'm going to go grab my purse and make a quick call to my mom to let her know we are alright, okay?" Angela said in between sniffles as she turned around to me, "I'll meet you at your desk in a sec."

"Okay. I need to call my mom, too."

Renee. I hadn't thought of calling her. I wonder if she's tried to call me. She was probably still asleep since she wasn't a morning person.

I hurried back to my desk. Only a few people on my side of the floor had left. Others were at the windows or scattered around.

I dialed Renee's number anxiously. It went to voicemail.

"Hey, Mom. This is Bella. Look, there's been an explosion at the other tower. I'm fine. Angela and I are about to evacuate the building. Please don't freak out. I will call you when we get home. Bye."

I had a few moments before Angela came back. I felt as those I appeared calm on the outside but my nerves were shot on the inside.

"Ready?" Angela said.

"Sure. Are you sure it isn't safer just to stay here?"

"I don't know. I just have this feeling we need to leave."

"Let's go," I said grabbing my purse. On the way, I walked by Mike's office. The door was wide open. Mike and Victoria were both on their cells. Mike gave me a quick nod and turned back to his laptop. Should I say something to them? No, they probably thought we were over reacting.

I turned and saw Jessica and Lauren talking at Jessica's desk. Should I say something to them, too, even though I despised the both of them? I knew if something happen to them I would feel guilty for not saying anything.

"Hey, Jessica."

"What," she said with a suspicious look.

"Angela and I are heading downstairs. Maybe you and Lauren should go, too."

"Uh...no. Do you not see all the stuff falling down onto the Plaza? It's too dangerous. But, you go ahead," she smirked giving Lauren a side-ways glance.

_Grrr_. "Fine. Whatever."

Angela and I headed for the stairs, not knowing what laid ahead for us.

-------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** There were questions about Bella being knocked down from the heat from the explosion. Yes, that really happen on some of the floors in the South Tower and the windows didn't break.

I bet you are wondering about Edward…he's coming up in the next chapter.

I am sorry this chapter is so short. Please don't be mad at me! With my depression and a loss of a friend who passed away last week, this is all I can give you for this chapter at the moment. I may take just a week off (no longer than that) from writing this story. I haven't decided, yet.


	6. Chapter 5

1A/N: Many thanks to Melissa from Project Team Beta for support on this chapter. Much love to hellacullen for advice on this chapter.

I don't own Twilight**.**

**Chapter 5**

"_**Up or down, life or death" ~~ Newsweek**_

**8:51 am**

**Edward**

Alice had been wrong about today. I could tell by the sunlight seeping through the bottom of the window shade that it wasn't a cloudy day as she had predicted. I thought that was rather odd.

_How could she have missed something simple like that?_

The man next to me was steadily snoring,occasionally smacking his lips. It was music to my ears, knowing that I didn't have to deal with unwanted chat. I then became bored so I looked through my laptop bag to locate a book.

While digging for a book, an unexpected wave of nervousness came over me; it was as though the atmosphere in the cabin took an eerie turn. I almost felt nauseous, which was a first for me.

I attuned my hearing to the front of the plane.

There was a curtain that separated the first class from coach so I couldn't see what was happening.

_Maybe there was a passenger being difficult or someone was having a heart attack?_

I glanced around at the other passengers in my section and they didn't seem to notice anything wrong behind the curtain.

All of a sudden, the plane made a quick pull to the right and then jerked back into place. The man next to me acted like he was going to wake up, but he smacked his lips and continued to snore.

_Was there something wrong with the pilots? Was there some type of malfunction? Did someone in first class just say they think the pilots were dead?_

Before panicking, I decided to call my family to see what Alice may know.

As soon as the phone was switched on, it instantly began to vibrate. Alice's number flashed on the small screen.

"Hey, Alice…," I whispered low enough so the humans couldn't hear.

"Oh, Edward…thank god you picked up…the…," she babbled in between sobs. Her words were almost incoherent.

"Alice, calm down. I think there's something going on in the front of the…"

"I know, Edward! It's being hijacked!" Her panicked voice penetrated my ear.

_Hijacked?_

"There are men in the plane who plan to rush the cockpit and kill the pilots to take control," she said. I could almost feel her desperation oozing through the phone.

_Is that why the plane jerked for a second? Had the hijackers already taken over the plane?_

"Alice, I think they might already be up there. Can you see anything else?"

"It keeps changing. Passengers are debating on whether or not to storm the cockpit and take control of the plane. I don't think they will make it in time."

"Edward, you have to save yourself!" Alice wailed.

"I don't know if I will be able to. This may be more than what I can handle. I may not be strong enough," I said honestly.

"Then you have to take over the plane yourself! We can deal with the consequences later. I can't lose you!" She pleaded with me.

The guy next to me began to stir.

"I have to go," I uttered and disconnected the call.

I signed, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. This was something I had never experienced before.

_Do I take the chance of sitting back and hope I would survive or try to take control before it was too late? Do I want to risk being exposed?_

The blue curtain abruptly flung opened and people started walking toward my direction. They had the look of bewilderment and terror written across their faces. It looked as though they were being shoved ahead to make them move faster.

Two men held a flight attendant in between them whom had apparently been stabbed in the abdomen. She looked to be barely conscious. A large dark stain had spread across her white shirt. The smell of the blood was overwhelming; the monster within wanted to come out and play. I had to swallow the venom collecting in my mouth. I gripped my armrests and tried to take control of my urge. I felt claustrophobic and my body screamed "give me some or get the fuck out of here", but there was nothing I could do.

Once the view cleared, I saw two Arabian men at the entrance of the curtain. They both had knives in their hands. One of the knives was caked with blood. The taller one had something wrapped around his chest. _Possibly a bomb?_

"Everyone, stay in your seat. We have a bomb," the tall one said with a thick accent. Their manner seemed calm and composed. It was as if they had a mission to accomplish and were in complete control. Then they both quickly disappeared to first class, leaving us in a state of shock. I leaned back in my seat trying to decide what to do.

In the human world I was a monster.

In the vampire world I was a freak.

I belonged nowhere.

When a person was transformed into a vampire, many physical enhancements were easily visible, such as beauty and strength. But some carried over a dominant personality trait. In their new lives, those traits were further magnified and two members of my family had their own unique abilities. Alice had her visions and Jasper had the ability to influence others' emotions, but I was able to do something that no other known vampire could do.

I could survive fire.

I didn't know why I could shield myself from fire; I knew it wasn't something I carried over from my human life. It was several years before I realized I had this capability.

As a newborn, I had very little control over my behavior. At that time, I had this constant need to hunt. One night, my thirst was more extreme than normal. I had gone three days without hunting, which was a life time in my world. I was traveling west and there wasn't a human for miles. Suddenly, the smell of burning wood and a slight human scent stopped me in my tracks. I ran in that direction and came upon a burning house. I could hear the humans screaming and crying with no way out. I bolted to the back of the house to see if there was an easy way for me to get in without being burned, but there wasn't. Flames had almost engulfed the entire house. Their cries were dwindling down and the smell of burning flesh was increased. I was so thirsty that I decided I had to risk it. It looked like I had a better chance of entering the house through the back door; the fire was mostly concentrated in the front. The house had become silent except I could still hear one heartbeat. I instantly tore the door off its hinges. I used my sense of smell to guide me to the human who was in the other room. He was an adult male laying unconscious on the floor. While I reached down to pick him up, I heard part of the ceiling caving in. The flaming ceiling beam came crashing into me, knocking me to the ground. The man flew from my arms as I fell. Feeling the heat of the flames from the beam across my back, I quickly jumped to my feet to try to extinguish the fire before it reached my skin. I looked down at my shirt and much to my surprise, not a single part of me was burning. My skin should have been on fire, but instead it was pale and smooth like always. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like I had some type of shield surrounding me. I scanned the room and noticed the flames inching closer. I was so fascinated by the orange beauty that I watched in wonder as flames tried to lick the sides of my pants, but to no avail. I smirked with this new knowledge, scooped up the human, and raced out of the house.

My ability didn't necessarily mean I would be able to walk away from the plane crash. I could only imagine the extremely intense heat and fire it would bring, that was something I had yet to experience. I knew I could live through a house fire, but I didn't know about this situation.

Not only could I endure fire, but I could walk among humans in the sunlight. I knew there was the old vampire myth that we slept during the day and were awake at night. First of all, we don't sleep, although at times I wish I could. Days were never ending when you shouldn't sleep them away. Secondly, we could go out during the day, but only on cloudy days. The sun didn't burn our skin, but sparkles in the sunlight which would potentially draw attention to us. I, on the other hand, could walk among humans in the sunlight. Yet again, I was the only vampire in the world that had this "gift". My father, a doctor, wasn't able to figure out why I was so different from other vampires.

The one thing I didn't like to do was stand out in a crowd. Of course, I did stand out among humans due to my beauty, but being so different from other vampires wasn't as great as one might think. Nobody wanted to be so different from everyone else, even in the vampire world. Well, at least I didn't.

The plane began to fly erratically which knocked me back to reality. People fell out of their seats, women screamed. Items from the overhead compartments flew in the air, hitting several passengers. I gripped my armrest again to make sure I stayed in my seat for I would surely kill someone if I fell on top of them.

I observed a small child, maybe around the age of three, who was crying in her mother's lap. Her mother was trying to soothe her, but wasn't having much success. The young girl peeked over her mother's shoulder, looking back at me with huge, deep, green eyes. As the plane jerked back and forth, our eyes locked. I could see the vulnerability and the innocence within them. I had never felt empathy for a human before, so the emotions stirring within me were hard to understand. This child, with her angelic face, was softening my disgust for humans. Her life was being taken in the same way that mine had been, with her life ending far too abruptly and too soon.

I started to think about the things she would miss out on like the excitement of being a "big girl" heading off to school for the first time; the rite of passage as a teenager getting her driver's license and driving alone for the first time. What about her father walking her down the aisle as she began her new life with her husband? Or the anticipation of being a first time mother and the joy it would bring when her daughter was place in her arms for the first time?

I shook my head.

_Good, lord! Where was this coming from? How could I be affected so much by a mere human child?_

Her scent was like the sweet fragrance of honeysuckles and, yet, it was rather soothing, even in the midst of chaos. I'd admit, as a vampire, most of the time, a child's blood was most appealing, but she was different. Not only did I not desire her blood, but I felt this baffling desire to protect the little one.

I turned my head and looked away. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block her out and concentrate on the situation at hand.

We were descending at an alarming rate. People were vomiting. Some were passing out from the pressure. I felt as though I was on a rollercoaster with twist and turns and steep drops.

A flight attendant, who sat across from me, was using one of the air phones to call for help in vain.

I heard a man calling his wife saying how some of the men were talking about storming the cockpit. I could also see an elderly woman praying while holding her rosary beads and squeezing her husband's hand in fear.

Many were using their cell phones to say their last goodbyes to their loved ones.

"I'm scared…"

"Tell mom that I love her…"

"The life insurance policies…"

"I don't want to die…"

The man next to me closed his eyes, grasped the armrests, and began praying in a soft murmur.

I then heard a whimper as the child slammed into the chair in front of her. Her mother attempted to protect her, but it did little to help.

That was it.

I couldn't take it anymore.

The world may be barbarous, but the child didn't deserve to die at the hands of evil.

I knew at that moment what I had to do. I jumped out of my seat and ran.

**8:51 am**

**Bella**

There were few people in the stairwell while we headed down. Most appeared to be calm, some even stopped to chat with one another. I was a few steps ahead of Angela. We were going to attempt to go all the way down to the first floor, but there was a guy on the eightieth floor with a megaphone saying that we should go back to our offices.

I stopped, turned and looked up at Angela.

"What do you think? Should we go back up or keep going?" I hesitated.

"I'm not sure. How about we go ahead and walk down to the sky lobby? Maybe they will have more information on what to do at the communication desk?" She responded.

"Okay…it wouldn't hurt to ask," I stuttered, trying not to panic. I just wanted to go home and pretend this day never happened.

The seventy-eighth floor was a sky lobby, a way station where workers transferred between local elevators to the higher floors and express elevators to the ground.

The lobby was humming like a beehive, nervous chatter filling the air. There had to be at least two hundred people milling around, filling the big elevator lobby.

Angela and I squeezed our way through the crowd to get to the communication desk. The desk was surrounded with people, demanding answers from the poor lady who was trying to juggle the constant phone calls and the people at the desk. We weren't able to get to the front, but we listened to what others had to say.

Some wondered what had happened, others had seen the fire and people jumping. And some were laughing and joking as they were getting on the elevators that went back to their offices. Others were in little huddles still debating on what to do, us included.

The express elevators that were going down seemed slow to arrive to the lobby. There was no panic; several of the elevators were half full when leaving.

_If everyone's not going down, maybe it's alright to go back up?_

Angela and I discussed our options. We weren't worried about our jobs. Hell, by the end of the day I wouldn't even have a job. We just weren't sure if it was really safe to go out there with the falling debris and bodies.

Another announcement was made, saying that the situation at the other tower was under control and everyone could return to their desks.

Angela and I looked at each other and shrugged. We caught the next elevator going up. I was the last one on. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as the elevator doors slid shut.

I hoped that I had made the right decision.

_________________________________________________________________

**Chapter End Notes: **

**A/N: **So what do you think about Edward's gifts? I was so nervous about posting this chapter. Remember this story is AU OOC. And no, he can't read minds.

The two scenes were pretty close to what actually happened according to survivors and the passengers' families. Even the quote about the life insurance policies was said.

Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter. I am feeling better. You just don't know how much it helped me reading that you were willing to wait for future chapters.

I'm on twitter if you want to be my friend. lol let me know you are from FF so I know to accept you. /martha8450


	7. Chapter 6 Part I

1Many thanks to hellacullen (PTB) for her help when I started this chapter. And many thanks to Mel & Dani (PTB) for their help at the end.

I don't own Twilight.

**Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.**

**___________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 6**

**Part I**

**9:00 a.m. **

**Bella **

For some reason, I held my breath on the ride up to my office. I didn't know what to expect when the elevator doors opened. Instead of little butterflies fluttering, I had huge boulders rolling around in my stomach. The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival at my floor. I peeked through the doors as they slowly opened; there were small clusters of people at their desks. Different radios could be heard throughout the floor, the DJ's nervously trying to get any information out. Even the controversial Howard Stern was somber.

I could see Mike and Victoria still huddled in his office, lost in conversation.

Slowly, I made my way out of the elevator, followed by Angela. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"What do we do now?" Angela frowned.

_Good question. What _do_ we do? _

"I don't know." I paused, trying to get my thoughts straight. I had always been told that knowledge was power, so I decided to first find out everything I could about the situation.

"I think I want to go check CNN to see what's going on."

"Okay. I'll go check in with Mike and Victoria," Angela said with a shaky voice. She seemed relieved to see me taking charge of the situation and was just grateful to do her part.

Even though I was doing my best to project a calm exterior, I felt as if I was falling apart inside. I was in the middle of a living nightmare, the depths of which remained unseen.I hurried to my desk, almost desperate to see what was happening outside.

As I sat down in my chair, the first thing I noticed was my family photo. It sat exactly how I had left it, the difference being that it had melted into the edges of its frame. My hand trembled as I reached over and took it. The photo was a scene of a happy couple holding their newborn daughter. God, they looked so young! Despite the situation, I smiled at the sight of my mom with her 80's hair and flawless skin. My dad had the biggest grin across his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He almost looked like he was sticking out his chest with pride.

My heart skipped a beat as I thought about Charlie. I decided to give him a call as I turned on my computer.

After several attempts to get a line, I became anxious. I dialed his number over and over, again. I kept getting a busy signal.

_What if I can't get through? I can only imagine how worried Charlie is now. _

After the millionth time, it finally began to ring.

_Thank god!_

"Hello?" he answered nervously.

"Dad? It's Bella," I whispered into the phone. There really wasn't any reason to be whispering, but it was all I could muster without completely breaking down over the phone.

"Bells!" He shouted. "Did you make it home all right? Your mom said you had left her a voicemail…" His voice trailed off, but not in time to hide his obvious worry.

"Umm…no…I'm still at the office," I admitted, instantly regretting my admission. I knew it would only add to his panic.

"What?" His voice cracked. "But you said…"

"I know, but security made several announcements saying we should stay. I didn't know what else to do," I started crying, no longer able to hold it in. For the first time ever, I wanted to be "daddy's little girl" and have him protect me from the world.

"Calm down, sweetheart," he murmured softly.

_Sweetheart?_ He hadn't called me that in years.

Guilt suddenly washed over me. I had never really gotten to know my dad. I had concentrated more on taking care of Renee while growing up, rather than having a relationship with him. How many times had he asked me to come to Forks and I would make an excuse not to? As a teen, I may have thought of myself as "mature for my age" but in reality, I was just as selfish as the next teen. Hell, the last time I went to Forks was Spring Break of my senior year and that didn't turn out so well. But here we were, a few years later, and I hadn't even thought of him first when everything started this morning.

_I was the world's worst daughter, and now it might be too late to do anything about it._

"Bells, I think you should leave. From what I've seen on TV, it doesn't look good. What if something exploded in the other building, causing something to happen to your building?" He said in typical 'dad' fashion.

I didn't reply. I couldn't bring myself to think about it.

"Bells, I d…don't...," He stuttered, "know what I would do if something happens to you."

I decided then that I would take his advice. I knew that, at this point, if anything else were to happen, he would never be able to forgive himself. "Dad, don't worry. I'll leave right now," I assured him as I grabbed the family photo and shoved it in my purse.

I heard him sigh in relief through the phone. "Good. Please be careful and call me as soon as you get home. And I…love you, Isabella."

I started to choke up for I knew saying those words was hard for Charlie.

"I love you too, Dad. Bye."

I placed the phone on the receiver and sighed as I felt my heart rip to pieces.

_As soon as I get home, I'm going to make reservations to fly out to see my dad._

I scanned my desk to see if there was anything else I needed to take home when I heard a deafening noise from behind as though there was a missile coming.

My heart stopped.

In a split second, I knew what was about to happen.

_Oh, God! Please..._

**9:02 a.m. **

**Edward **

_Do you ever have nightmares where you are running as fast as you can, but you feel like you are going in slow motion? _

I raced up the aisle, clambering over the debris of trash and carry-on bags that choked it. The air was filled with the screams and panicked cries of the passengers. The shouted prayers, terror-stricken crying of men and women and the wails of children created a chaos of sound.

The plane was rolling back and forth, and we were low, really low, still going extremely fast. Outside and nearly level with the plane's windows, the skyscrapers of New York went flashing by. I saw the plane's shadow against the tall buildings. It seemed our wings almost clipped the Verizon building as we sped by. How surreal it seemed to see the buildings this close and from this angle.

Fear was in the air, as thick and as tangible as smoke from a bonfire. Even the humans could smell at it this concentration and it added to the general atmosphere of horror and dread.

I passed through the doorway to the first class section. Two dark swarthy men were guarding the cockpit door, having driven all the first class passengers back to the coach section. The plane lurched wildly to the left and they were tossed like discarded dolls against the seats and bulkhead wall. I rushed up to the cockpit door and pulled at the knob. The door started to bow towards me. With my free hand I wedged my fingers into the opening edge and yanked the door from its hinges.

Inside the cockpit, the four remaining hijackers seemed frozen. They all sat motionless except for the pilot as he made corrections to the plane's course. I heard two voices whispering "Allah Akbar" (God is great) again and again.

Outside the front windows of the cockpit, I saw what transfixed them. Directly ahead of us and rushing towards us at incredible speed was the north tower of the World Trade Center. In horror, I watched as the plane's reflection in those windows grew impossibly larger and larger. My last thought before we made impact was that I was too late to save the three year old girl back in Seat 7B.

___________________________________________________________

**A/N: Leave a review...you get a tease for the next chapter!**

**Got Twitter????**

**/martha8450**

**Let me know you're from Twilighted so I know to accept you. thanks!**


	8. Chapter 6 Part II

1**A/N:** Thank you hellacullen, Mel, and bonnysammie for your help on this chapter.

Side note..8/14/09...EPOV in Chapter 6 Part One has been rewritten thanks to Duskwatch. You are awesome. Go back and read it.

I don't own Twilight.

**__________________________________________**

**Chapter 6**

**Part II**

Saturdays have never been the same

That moment keeps repeating in my mind

The ringing phone, a call that changed my world

An emptiness that words cannot define

And these memories that have overtaken me

So once again, I fall upon my knees

~~ "Every Saturday" 7th Day Slumber ~~

**8:59 a.m.**

**Charlie**

**8:59 a.m.  
Charlie  
**  
I had just fallen asleep after a long shift, when the phone rang.

Who in the hell could that be?

I reached over my night stand to answer the phone.

"Hello?" I said in a sleepy voice.

"Charlie, it's Renee," she sobbed.

Suddenly, my heart started to race and I shot right out of bed.

"Renee, what's wrong? Did something happen to Bella?"

"Charlie, turn on your TV. One of the Twin Towers was hit by a plane."Plane?

Oh my god! Bella!

I stumbled out of bed to turn on the television.

"What? Was it Bella's? Have you…"

"No, it wasn't her building. She tried to call me, but my cell was in my purse. She left me a voicemail." She became hysterical.

"Renee, get a hold of yourself! What did she say?" I persisted.

"She…she said that she was leaving and would call when she got home. I tried to call her office and cell, but got no answer. Oh, Charlie…," her voice faded.

I placed the phone back on the receiver.

I sat there, speechless.

My daughter.

My child.

My baby.

My everything.

My life with her flashed before my eyes.

When Renee told me that she was pregnant, I was ecstatic! My first child with my beautiful wife was a dream come true. I hugged her and pulled back to look into her eyes. Instead of joy, I saw dread. I almost released her, but then I figured she was probably just in a state of shock. I could only imagine how scary it was for a first time mother.

Renee's pregnancy was smooth sailing until a few days before the baby's due date. She had to be rushed to the hospital and delivered the baby via C-section. The doctor took the baby out of Renee's womb, said that she was a girl, and turned to take her straight to the other side of the room. I saw her for a brief second, her body laid limp in the doctor's arms. The room was silent except for the sounds of the doctor and nurses working on my little girl.

They worked on her little body for what seemed like a lifetime.

I kept whispering, "Breathe for daddy, baby girl. Breathe for daddy."  
When she finally let out a cry, it was like hearing the angels sing. We all breathed a sigh of relief and cried for joy! Renee had let me name the baby Isabella Marie Swan after my mother, who had passed away the year before. She would have been so happy to have Bella as a granddaughter.

Oh, you should have seen me when we brought her home from the hospital. It took us twenty minutes to get her seated just right in her car seat. Much to Renee's chagrin, we rode in my police car at twenty miles an hour, with the lights flashing. Hey, at least I didn't have the sirens blaring, right?

Those first few months were the best times of my life. I would rush home after every shift so I could be with her. Sometimes, I would let her fall asleep on my chest. Having her squirm and snore on my chest was heaven.

When Renee left with Bella, my world came crumbling down. I wasn't equipped to be a full-time dad while being chief of police, so I had to let her go. After dropping them off at the airport, I went home and barely moved for two weeks. Luckily, everyone at the station was kind enough to take over my shifts until I was able to return.

While Bella was a baby, I would fly down to Arizona every chance I got. She was five when she made her first big girl trip to Forks. I was nervous about her flying by herself, but Renee assured me that the flight attendants were going to take good care of her and never let her out of their sight.

I didn't relax until I saw her walking to the entrance, holding a flight attendant's hand. Once she saw me, her face lit up and she ran to me with her curly pigtails bouncing in the air. I scooped her up and spun her around. She took my face into her little hands and said, "Daddy, I missed you." Those four little words were music to my ears.

As she got older, she began distancing herself from me. I didn't know if it was because she was becoming a young woman and we didn't have that daddy's little girl connection anymore. Maybe, it was normal for any teenage girl. I didn't know. I even tried to talk about the memories we shared when she was little, but she would look at me like she didn't know what I was talking about. She would say that she didn't remember.

How could she forget our fishing trips or our walks in the woods?

When she began to make up excuses not to come to Forks in the summer, I pretended that I was fine. But deep down inside, it tore my heart to pieces.

She came to Forks during Spring Break of her senior year. The first few days were fine. Then one afternoon, I came home from work and she wasn't there. I thought maybe she was taking a walk or something. Eventually, she came back before it got dark, but she ran to her room saying she wasn't hungry and rarely came out until it was time to go back to Arizona. I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong, but she would blow me off, saying it was nothing. Finally, I gave up and hoped she would change her mind before she left. I never found out the issue, even after all these years.  
When Bella moved to New York, I was scared to my wit's end about the dangers there. Forks and Arizona were nothing compared to New York City. Of course, I never expressed those fears to her. I knew she was destined to do bigger and greater things. I was proud of her for taking that scary leap out into the big world.

I just about jumped out of my skin when, suddenly, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered nervously.

"Dad? It's Bella," she whispered into the phone.

"Bells! Did you make it home all right? Your mother said you had left her a voicemail," my voice strained as I held the phone tighter.

Bella proceeded to tell me she hadn't left.

What the fuck?

I insisted that she left and she said that she would. I told her that I loved her.

"I love you, too, Dad. Bye."

I hung up, shaking my head in disbelief.

Please, God, keep my little girl safe.

I let out a heavy sigh and tried to focus on the news. I looked up at the screen just in time to see a plane hit Bella's tower.

I felt my heart rip in two, and yet my lungs continued to breathe.

At that moment, I wanted to die for I knew my little girl was gone.

**8:59 a.m.  
Esme**

I sat on the bed in front of the television, numb to the world. I could hear my family panicking in the background.

I felt someone sit next to me on the bed. "Esme, please don't worry. Our boy will come back to us. I know he will make it," Carlisle said sincerely as he gently put his arm around my waist, giving me a soft squeeze. "I have faith in his abilities."

I wanted desperately to believe what my beloved was whispering in my ear.  
I closed my eyes wanting the world to stop for just a minute, but even amongst the supernatural, there were limits to what we could do. Those limits were what frightened me the most. We had each overcome impossible circumstances to remain on this earth, but part of me feared that death would catch up to us, eventually.

I wanted my son back. I wanted to see that untamable copper hair blowing in the wind as he hunted. I missed seeing the furrow in his brow as he concentrated while composing music on the piano.

I remembered the first time I saw him. It was a horrible time in Chicago. I could smell death everywhere as I walked along the dark lonely streets. On the way to the hospital to meet up with Carlisle, I came across a scent of a human that made me stop in my tracks. I could tell that there were dead humans in the house, but there was, also, a scent of a human on the verge of death.

Following the sounds of moaning, I glided up the stairs to a dark room. With my enhanced eyesight, I could see a young boy tossing and turning. My motherly instincts kicked in as I looked down at him.

The poor boy was drenched in sweat and apparently hadn't eaten in days because he was skin and bones. I caught my breath as I heard him whisper, "Help me," and fell back into unconsciousness.

Should I let him die? Should I change him? In all my years, I so very much wanted a child. Would I have the strength to stop? Carlisle had changed me many years ago so I knew it could be done. Was this the right thing to do? Was I being completely selfish? Would the boy understand? Would he hate me?

These thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to decide what to do. His heart was slowing down and I knew before daybreak, he would be gone. I looked down at the angelic face. I've never felt this connection with a child before in all my vampire years. Actually, I had always avoided being around children as much as possible. It was too painful for me to interact with them, knowing I could never have one to call my own.

I cried because I then knew I was going to be selfish for the first time in my life.

I could tell that his heart was only a few beats away from stopping. I got myself under control, glancing at his face one last time.

I gently brushed his hair away from his neck, leaned over, and took my son's human life.

And now, almost a hundred years later, his life was in someone else's hands.

I don't know if I can take the pain of losing another son.

As a human, I wanted nothing more than to be a mother. I got married fairly young to a boy who lived nearby. Not long after we were married, I became pregnant. I was extremely excited and praised God for the blessing that was given to me.  
Toward the end of my pregnancy, I began to have complications. Since we lived in a big city like Chicago, I had one of the best doctors in town. Dr. Carlisle Cullen would come every few days to check on my progress. Dr. Cullen wasn't able to make it in time to deliver my precious baby boy. Unfortunately, my baby was stillborn and I lost a large amount of blood that almost took my life. I was taken to the hospital due to my critical condition.

Why didn't they just let me die then?

I was in complete denial during the first few days.

Surely this really didn't happen, right? There had to been a mistake! I know my God would not be this cruel.

Oh, the pain I suffered! I was so devastated that my body physically hurt. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to breathe for it was pure agony. Then, anger set in.

How could God do this to me? Was I not a good Christian? What had I done wrong to deserve so much pain?

I couldn't describe the sorrow I felt as my arms remained empty and cold. The numbness finally took over, which was a sweet relief from my heartache. I no longer wanted to live and I knew death was the final answer.

What was the point of living when you had nothing to live for?

The sound of Alice's screams quickly snapped me back to the present moment. I stared at her in confusion as I then realized she was having another vision. Her face twisted in horror as she slowly raised her hand to point at the television.

I turned my attention to the screen to see Edward's plane disappear into the South Tower.

The pain I felt more than one hundred years ago came rushing back as I began crying tearless sobs in my hands.

The thought of never seeing Edward again was unbearable, but it was a reality I now had to face.

I began to shut down, letting the numbness take over, again.

Indeed, my god was cruel.

_____________________________________________________

**A/N:** I hope I was able to capture the emotions and feelings that family members experienced on that day.

Where you surprised that it was Esme that changed Edward? I never said it was Carlisle. LOL!

Poor Charlie! After seeing the scene on Twilight where Bella tells him that she doesn't want to live with him, I have a soft spot for him. I, now, skip that scene because it is too hard for me to watch. I know that most fathers feel that it is their job to protect their families and I can only imagine how helpless he felt. You can also say the same thing for Esme. What parent wouldn't give their own life to protect their child from harm?


	9. Chapter 7

1**A/N:** Much love to my PTB betas Mel, hellacullen, and bonnysammy.

I had a guest writer (Duskwatcher) who wrote EPOV. I think she did an excellent job! Much love!!

Song: "Take A Picture" by Filter

I don't own Twilight.

**Chapter 7**

Well I see the winds have changed now

why'd they have to change today

My eyes are drowning in this sea of pain

the world is closing in on me

I'm slowly sinking in my insides

a float is sinking inside me

my eyes are cold, black, and empty

can anybody set me free

~ "Something" 7th Day Slumber~

**9:10am**

**Bella**

The smell of smoke assaulted me as I slowly woke from an unconscious blackness to a nightmare. I squeezed my eyelids tight as my head throbbed uncontrollably. Dust clogged my airway as I tried to catch my breath. What had happened? Why was I on the floor?

Before my eyes could fully adjust, a scorching pain spread across my back. It took me a second to realize that I was on fire! Instinctively, I began to roll back and forth, in an attempt to distinguish the flames. Debris was blocking me on both sides, limiting the amount of space I had to move. As my eyes further adapted to the scene around me, I realized that it wasn't debris blocking me, but Mike and Victoria's lifeless, broken bodies.

A shrill scream escaped from my mouth as I sat up and looked around. Ignoring my aching body, I staggered to my feet. To my horror, I realized they weren't just bodies, they were my coworkers. Some were crumbled on the floor at an unnatural angle. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the haze of smoke, I saw Marianne, the girl who worked in the cubicle next to me, who appeared to be fine. _Marianne is alive!_ My heart felt relieved as I scrambled to get to her. "Marianne! Marianne! Can you hear me?" When I was almost to her, I tripped over an arm laying on the floor and landed next to Marianne. Lifting my head off the ground, I expected to see her looking at me, but that was not the case. Marianne's eyes were closed and she looked like a sleeping angel except a filing cabinet existed where her lower half should be. My heart dropped and I felt sick to my stomach. Not wanting to see anymore, I turned my head away and got back on my feet.

I quickly surveyed the office, my eyes widening in horror as I realize everything had been destroyed. Cubicles were toppled over and desks lay in broken pieces on the floor. The ceiling had collapsed over a significant portion of the office, leaving the area that had once been the break room and the bathrooms, unrecognizable. I looked to my right and found that the elevators doors were missing. In their place were orange flames, licking their way along the inside of the elevator shaft. I started to gag on the black smoke that was slowly filling the office and decided to make my way towards the stairs.

Swiftly, I maneuvered my way through the office, climbing over desks and file cabinets as if moving across a mountain terrain. Tears trailed down my face as I felt my raw, slightly burned back scream as my shirt rubbed against it. My knees began to bleed as I scraped them against several desks. The unwelcomed urge to give up was rising, but I suppressed it and kept moving.

Feeling like I was going to have an asthma attack, I decided to rest for a second. I crouched low to the ground in order to breathe in cleaner air. After a minute, I decided to continue. As I made my way towards the exit, I could hear the noise of debris falling, the sound of the fire raging and the screams of fellow survivors. All of the screams sounded so distant, so far away. There were no screams coming from my floor. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the wind rushing by the shattered windows. Had no one else survived?

I, then, thought of Angela. I turned around in a quick circle looking for her.

_Where is she?_

I started wading through the debris where I thought her desk should have been, but I couldn't find her.

I was about to walk away until I heard a familiar voice.

"Bella...," a distant voice whispered.

I snapped my head up looking for the source.

"Bella...please help me."

It was Angela! I could see her upper body as it was beneath the rubble. I frantically made my way to her and dropped to the ground, landing on my knees.

I reached for Angela's hand and searched her face. She had blood oozing from her forehead, but she was still alive. I internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bells, I can't move. Can you get this off of me?" She pleaded, pointing at the piece of a wall that covered her legs.

I got off my knees to lift a section of the ceiling. It wouldn't budge. I tried, again, with all my strength to lift it, but I couldn't. I slumped back down on the floor and began to cry.

_How could I help my only friend in the world when I didn't have enough energy left to help myself?_

_I have to get help!_

I quickly got up, again, wiping my tears off my face with my sleeve. I began to survey the area praying that I find at least one person to help me. To my surprise, I saw emerging from the smoke, Jessica and Lauren stumbling around with their arms intertwined. Their eyes were wide with shock. Their dresses wear torn and they were covered in gray soot, but they looked visibly okay.

"Jessica! Lauren! Over here! Angela can't move and I need your help," I yelled as they stopped a few feet in front of me.

_Thank god!_

"Bella?" Jessica whispered, looking at me with surprise.

"If you and Lauren get the other end of the wall, I know we can get it off of her," I pleaded.

"I...um...don't..." She stuttered. Jessica looked at Lauren with fear in her eyes.

And then...they just walked away.

My heart sank to my stomach. "Wait! Come back, _please_," I screamed from the depths of my soul.

_How can they do that? I know we've had our difference, but how can they walk from someone they know who needs help?_

I cried uncontrollably as I looked down at Angela helplessly.

"Bella,_ please_...I can't feel my legs," Angela gasped with tears streaming from her eyes.

_Should I go for help? What if something else falls on her? What if she dies before I get back?_

_OH, GOD! HELP ME, PLEASE!_

Angela started to convulse as she coughed up blood. I knelt back down to be by her side and held her hand.

Eventually, she stopped coughing and looked up at me. I felt so helpless as the blood ran down her chin onto the floor. I didn't know what else I could do to help her, so I began wiping the blood from her mouth with my hand. It wasn't sanitary, but it didn't matter at that moment. Nothing really mattered now.

As she stared up at me, I noticed one of the lenses was missing from her glasses. She was desperately trying to focus her eyes on me, determination present in her gaze. She tried to talk, but her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. I leaned in as close as I could to her mouth in the hopes of hearing what would probably be her last words.

"Tell Ben I love him. My mom..."she started coughing again.

"Angela, no! I will get you out of here," I promised, "Please don't try to talk anymore. You need to save your strength. I'll go get help."

She lifted her hand and tenderly stroked my face. I had to hold back a shiver for her hand was almost as cold as ice. I held her hand to my face.

_What do you say when someone you love is about to die right before your eyes?_

The reality of the situation was too much to bear. I closed my eyes for a moment, reminiscing on a happier time and place when Angela was smiling and happy. My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of her raspy voice once more.

"Bella...it will be…," her voice faded.

Her hand went limp.

I squeezed her hand tighter to my cheek, praying that my fears hadn't come true.

I didn't want to look, but I had no choice. Opening my eyes, I looked down at my precious angel. However, what I found was a mere lifeless shell where my friend had once been. She was gone. Angela was gone.

I gently wiped away her last tears.

I lifted my head up to the sky and closed my eyes. I screamed in silence.

My one and only true friend was gone forever.

_Why? _

_Why? _

_Why?_

_I don't want to leave you. You've always been there for me and how can I just leave you here? _

Angela was the most unselfish person I knew and deep down inside, I knew she would have wanted me to go. But I didn't want to leave her here all alone.

_Maybe I can lift it up now and try to carry her_?

I had to try at least one more time.

I stood up and tried with everything I had, but it didn't budge.

I dropped down beside her one last time.

"Angela, I'm sorry. I can't move it. I'll tell Ben and your mom that you were brave. I love you," I cried.

_I will never forget you._

I gave her one last kiss on the cheek and placed her hand on the floor. I closed my eyes summoning up all the courage I could and stood up.

Suddenly, an explosion hurled me across the room, landing on my back.

_I don't want to die!_

Trying to escape the fire raging behind me, I slammed my body into the door that led to the stairs. The door burst open and the force of my body propelled me into the far wall, my head plowing into the cracked drywall. Grey soot rained down, covering me like a dirty blanket. I shook my pounding head to get the soot off, and my ears started to ring loudly. I noticed a trickling of warm wetness coming down my face. I stopped and put my hand on my forehead. I flipped my hand over and it was covered in blood. I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting the world to stop spinning for just a minute. The blood continued to come in unyielding waves from my forehead, despite my efforts of putting pressure on the wound.

Noticing there was a railing above me; I grabbed it and struggled to pull myself up. A shocking pain shot up my leg and I fell face first, tumbling down one flight of stairs and slammed into a wall. It knocked the wind out of me and I gasped for air.

I started to scream as my lungs recovered, made an effort to use my right elbow to sit up. It was useless. I howled in agony because my arm felt like it was broken in two. Sliding back on the floor in defeat, I began to sob as I realized that I wasn't going to make it out alive. Is this really how my life is going to end?

Suddenly on the stairs above me, I heard what sounded like footsteps coming closer. "Help me," I groaned, with the last bit of energy I had. The footsteps paused with a slight hesitation before continuing.

A person appeared in the stairwell over me, and he froze. It was as if he didn't know how to proceed. Finally he cautiously approached me, and he looked to be uninjured. He had dark soot covering his face and grey dust all over his clothing, but there was no blood. There was nothing to indicate injury at all. How could that be?

He bent down and the fluorescent light behind him glowed. It was as if he was coming down from heaven. Is this the angel of death or my savior? As I felt his sturdy arms reach beneath me, I willed my eyes to open to look into the face of my angel as my whole world faded into a tunnel of darkness.

**9:03am**

**EPOV**

The nose of the plane hit the building and immediately, the shockwave caused the building's exterior to ripple like waves in a pond. I turned and harder than I ever had in my life, I pushed off, digging into the carpeting and metal flooring as I leaped towards the back of the plane. Behind me, I heard the huge shrieking and roaring of metal stressed beyond its limits, the shattering of glass, and the grinding and growling as immovable object met unstoppable force. The cockpit was being crushed like a tin can as it plowed its way through at least three floors of the building, taking out everything in its path.

I was still in mid leap, yet everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The passengers' faces ranged from shock to horror, but I couldn't hear any of their screams. The sound of the plane hitting the building was the most deafening sound I'd ever heard. It filled up the air like a tangible beast, screeching and bellowing. Out of the plane's windows that were popping and bursting as the metal of the sides of the plane twisted, I could see desks and walls, girders and concrete slabs being tossed like leaves in a windstorm.

With a huge shriek and groan, the wings of the plane were torn away as it continued its slide into the guts of the building. In horror, I watched as the coach cabin began to fold like an accordion, as the seats slammed together, and bodies were tossed into the air. As the plane rumbled and groaned and slowed to a stop, my momentum carried me forward and I saw the plane's walls went flashing by as I was thrown forward towards the front of the plane. Instinctively, I curled into a ball and was thrown through the twisted and shattered windshield of the plane. Like a cannonball, I was catapulted through the debris that had pushed up against the former nose of the plane, like the waves before the bow of a boat. I was pounded through several walls but I heard the plane still coming forward, right behind me, like a tank nosing its way through the immense pile of detritus. The smell of jet fuel immediately filled the air, the tanks must have burst. I felt the pounding on my body as I was thrown forward through layers of drywall, mortar and cement. Finally, I crashed through another layer of drywall to rest against a steel girder.

The sounds of tortured metal, shrieking and grinding continued to ring out as I lie, dazed with the pain of having been shot through layers of interior walls. The plane continued to slide forward, and I realized I was directly in its path. That's when I heard the sudden whoosh as all the oxygen in the room spontaneously combusted. The fireball filled the room like a huge hungry beast. I wasn't going to test my protection from fire at this level; I needed to get away fast. Above and around me, walls, carpets, even metal objects seemed to burst into flame. I jumped to my feet and started running, blasting through walls again, this time under my own power. The fire followed me, surrounding me with an orange and red haze.

There was a huge ground-shaking explosion, as the main tanks of the plane exploded and again, I was propelled forward. I landed face down while above me, huge towers of flame shot horizontally. Fire would rise; I needed to get below the flames. I'd been blown into a hallway, not five feet from me was a steel door. Black smoke was quickly filling up the area, but not before I saw the sign on the door that read _Stairs._ I crawled on my hands and knees towards the door as the smoke and heat continued to intensify around me. Groaning metal and the rush of air as the fire sucked all available oxygen into its heart made sounds like the center of a tornado. I searched wildly for the door's push bar and entered the stairwell, letting the door snap shut behind me. I rolled to my back, the steel reinforced walls of the stairwell had protected this area somewhat, and the smoke and heat were much less. I took a cursory look at myself, I was blackened with soot, and my clothing was ripped and torn. It seemed that I had survived the plane crash. I was sure I was the only creature that had.

Once I got myself to refocus, I stood at the edge of the landing, listening for sounds from the stairs below. I could hear screams that seemed to echo for miles and miles. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a door slamming a few floors beneath me. At that same moment, an invisible force knocked me back to the wall.

_What was that?_

A/N: About 2,000 people were on or above the floors hit in both Towers. About 20 people survived from those floors. These survivors were all in the South Tower and they all used the same stairway…Stairway A.

The South Tower had three stairways labeled A, B, and C. The nose of the plane hit the 81st floor, where huge elevator machines shielded one of the three stairways – Stairway A.

Stairways B & C were impassable if anyone attempted to go down. Stairway A was intact, well lighted and decent air to breathe. Unfortunately, most who survived the initial impact chose to go up Stairway A in search of a helicopter rescue that never came.

Oh, Angela! I cried when I wrote about her death. I was very sad for a few days. There were so many survivors that had the experience of watching their friends/coworkers die before their eyes. Oh, man…I can't only imagine.

Jessica & Lauren…don't you just want to slap them! You never know how a person will react in an emergency until it happens to them. We all hope we would be selfless and do the right thing, but you never know...


	10. Chapter 8

1Thank you Project Team Beta!

I don't 0wn twilight.

**Chapter 8**

**9:20 a.m.**

**EPOV**

Once I got myself to refocus, I stood at the edge of the landing, listening for sounds from the stairs below. I could hear screams that seemed to echo for miles and miles. They were practically deafening. The smell of blood penetrated the air in waves that were almost too hard to resist. I stilled my lungs and concentrated on controlling my reaction to the sweet aroma. I took a few seconds to calm down, and then I inhaled. It was strong, but not as overpowering as before.

I glanced back at the door that I had just hurdled myself through. I was in awe of the fact that I had survived not only the fire that had surrounded me, but the actual crash itself. I felt slightly weakened from what just happened, but nothing like what I thought I would be. Vampires were very strong, but our energy could quickly be drained depending on the situation. Surely just the force alone from the crash should have me on my knees, but that wasn't the case.

_How could that be?_

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a door slamming a few floors beneath me. At that same moment, an invisible force knocked me back into the wall. The impact caused a great thud, knocking the breath out of me.

_What was that?_

I sat there, almost stunned. I had never experienced anything like that before. Luckily, whatever it was quickly went away. I shook my head, the dust from my hair flying everywhere. A few seconds later as I began to stand, a peculiar noise came from that same floor caught my attention. It sounded like someone was tumbling down the stairs. I couldn't believe it was possible for anyone to have survived just a few floors from the destruction from the crash.

I continued my way down. I was amazed how the stairwell wasn't completely destroyed. The further down I walked, the better it was, with less smoke and improved lighting. The walls of the stairway were cracked and leaking water; my footsteps splashing with each step. Some of the walls were completely destroyed, exposing the piping within. I held my breath as the dust from the drywall came down like rain. I came upon layers of drywall that I easily threw to the side as I made my way down. There were smaller pieces of debris on the next floor that I was able to jump over. I increased my speed as the debris lessened.

A female scream echoed all around me, followed by a soft cry as if she was defeated. Then I heard her moan, "Help me." The voice that cried out those two simple words sent a wave of calm through my body, causing me to pause in my attempt to go downward. Her voice sang to my very soul, nearly causing me to go weak in the knees. I knew, at that moment, I had to be near her. I continued for two more floors, when I nearly tripped over my own two feet. What I saw below made me almost want to weep.

A slender girl lay at an odd angle on her side, her face contorted in pain. She was covered in soot, her clothes tattered. Her long, wavy hair was spread across her face in knots. I had an unexpected desire to whisk away the strands of hair that were stuck to the side of her face. Beneath the dirt and hair, I could tell she was as pale and delicate as a porcelain doll. Even with the soot and our dire circumstances, I could still see her beauty. Noticing the puddle of blood trailing from her head, I held my breath once more, in fear of losing control.

_Wait a minute! How come I'm not already reacting to the spilled blood? I should be going insane, fighting the desire to kill her and__yet, I feel nothing._

I looked down at the creature, searching to see what was so different about her. I saw nothing unusual and, yet, I still couldn't walk away. I took a deep breath to let the aroma of her blood engulf my senses, but nothing happened. Yes, there was a pleasant scent in the air, but my natural instincts weren't screaming at me to devour her.

_What is God's name is going on? What is wrong with me? Did the crash cause something to go wrong with my senses? _

I shrugged to myself.I didn't have time to figure things out. I needed to get us out of here.

My eyes drifted down from her face and I noticed that one of her arms wasn't set like it should have been. Instantly, I could tell her arm was broken. Bending down to be closer to her, my chest tightened at the thought of this vulnerable human suffering from pain.

I could clearly hear her heart beating strongly and she appeared to be almost unconscious. I let out a big sigh of relief, knowing she wasn't dead. I, still, internally debated on whether or not to help her. I didn't think much of humans, but there was something different about this girl. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was almost like seeing that little girl on the plane. Her lying helpless on the floor, while the world was crumbling around her. Also, I had the unnatural pull towards her that I couldn't seem to get rid of. I reached down and swept away her hair that was smothering her face. I nearly gasped for I got a better look at her. Freckles were lightly sprinkled across her nose that had a slight turn up at the tip. Her spider lashes rested on her cheeks as tear drops trickled down from them. Even with the dust swept across her lips, I could tell they were ruby red and perfect. Unfortunately, blood was still trailing down her cheek from her forehead. My hand instinctively went to apply pressure on her wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. She let out a small cry and sluggishly turned her head the other direction. My heart broke a little knowing that I had just cause her pain.

All of a sudden, the cries from below us caught my attention. I knew I needed to decide what to do and fast. The lights in the stairwell began to flicker as if to remind me that I had little time to just stand around. My body was telling me to get her to safety and I knew I didn't have any other choice.

She looked so fragile that I was almost afraid to touch her. The thought of accidentally crushing her was unbearable. I carefully slipped my hands underneath her body and cradled her in my arms like a bird with a broken wing. She involuntary shivered as her body came in contact with my chest. She let out a soft moan, fluttering her eyes for just a moment, before going unconscious.

A strange word popped into my mind as I gazed down at her.

_Mine._

**9:27am**

**BPOV**

The first thing I noticed was the paralyzing pain throughout my body. My head, back, and arm were screaming at me for some relief. I prayed that I wasn't already dead for I couldn't imagine being like this for eternity. Opening my eyes, I had hoped to see my bedroom ceiling knowing that it was just a nightmare, but that wasn't the case. A black void engulfed me. I blinked several times, searching for anything, but to no avail. I had to swallow the vomit rising in my throat.

_Where am I? _

_Am I alive?_

_What happened?_

I remembered falling down some stairs, but I wasn't sure why.

Through the pain, I could sense that I was being carried as though I was a baby cradled in my mother's arms. My cheek was resting against something that I could only presume was a man's chest. A hand was underneath my thighs and the other wrapped around my back to my shoulders. This sent alarm bells to my mind because I knew this wasn't right. I struggled to get free. It was futile. I was being held tightly by something hard like stone and we were moving. I heard water trickling down the stairs; his feet splashed with each step.

I attempted to get out of his arms, but the pain was too much. Since I felt so out of control, I began to cry hysterically. My arm was totally fucked up, I hurt all over and this person wouldn't let me go. Who knew what he was going to do to me?

"Please stop that! You're only making it worse." He spat.

I quickly opened my eyes and tilted my head up to look at him. Of course, it was useless since it was completely dark. Feeling his cool breath on my face, I started to calm down.

I barely felt the movement of him walking, like he was light on his feet. Out of the blue, he stopped.

"I'm going to put you down for a second," he said with his voice echoing in the dark.

I wanted to reply, but only a hoarse sound came out of my mouth.

He delicately sat me down on the wet step and I leaned on the wall for support. The water started to soak through my pants and I tried not to shiver.

I felt a gust of wind as he disappeared into the darkness, his footsteps fading. I wanted to yell, "Don't leave me", but he was gone before I could utter a word.

_Where in the hell is he going? Surely he wasn't going to leave me behind?_

I closed my eyes, holding back a scream as I was trying not to panic and hyperventilate. Then I noticed I felt something wet trickling down from my forehead. I touched it, feeling the opening of the wound. My forehead was clearly bleeding. I put pressure on it with my palm even though it hurt like a son of a bitch.

"Okay. We can go now," he said and I felt his hands slide beneath me. I nearly jumped out of my skin_. _

_Holy shit! How did he get here without making a sound? I must have been concentrating too much on my pain to hear him coming._

"No," the words finally came out in a rough voice, "I can't move."

My arm was hurting and my head was spinning like a yo-yo. Hell no, I wasn't going anywhere.

He slowly removed his hands and growled as though he was frustrated.

_Did he really just growl at me?_

"You know, you are more than welcome to go ahead and leave me here if my _pain_ is so inconvenient for you." I snapped, waving my good hand in the air. My knight in shining armor was starting to get on my nerves.

He huffed and moved to sit next to me, our legs touching.

The pain I felt over every inch of my body was starting to get overwhelming. I've always been clumsy, but I've never broken anything and I definitely knew my arm was broken. I tried to get my thoughts together and ignore the pain.

"What happened?" I whimpered.

I felt his body tense beside me. "I don't know."

I looked up at the pitch dark above me and realized that nobody else was coming down.

"Did you come down from up there?" I pointed above, which was silly, since the lights weren't working.

"Yes," he said curtly. He began tapping his foot, making my headache worse.

_Are you serious? This guy needs to take a chill pill._

I shifted and let out a yelp because of the pain that shot through my arm.

_Holy shit! That hurt!_

"Here, let me help you," he offered. He rose and stood in front of me on a lower step.

I heard something rip that made me jump.

_What the fuck?_

"Here, use this to put pressure on that wound." He held my hand and placed something in it.

_Did he just rip his shirt? How did he know about my head with it being so dark?_

"Um…thanks," I murmured as I brought it up to my forehead. I flinched, but the wet strip felt good on my head.

"You're welcome. Now, let me see if I can do something about your arm," he softly whispered in my ear as he lifted my hair to behind my shoulder.

"Okay…"I sighed, relaxing with the sound of his voice.

"Good. I don't have anything to make a splint, but I can use the rest of my shirt to make some type of sling. Hopefully, it will make your arm more stable than what it is now. Will that work for you?"

"Yes." I said trying to fight off the desire to pass out from the pain.

"I will be as careful as I can, but I'm sure it will be pretty painful. Once your arm is prevented from moving, the pain should lessen. Okay?"

"k…" I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the worse.

The sound of him tearing his shirt again, sent a chill up my spine.

_I hope he knows what he is doing_.

He slowly parted my knees and knelt down between them. I felt his cold breath across my face as he carefully wrapped part of his shirt around my chest. Closing my eyes, I held back a scream. He was being so kind and gentle that I didn't want to show my pain.

I almost passed out from the torture as he tied the last part of the shirt around my neck. Even with the pain, I felt safe with him. For some reason, I truly believed with him around, nothing would be able to harm me. I shook my head in disbelief.

_Who was this guy? One minute I want to yell at him, the next minute I want him to melt in the safety of his arms._

_Here he was making a sling for me out of his shirt. Surely he __had some type of medical background. How many people know how to do that so well at a moments notice?_

_Also, why was he being so nice to me? He easily carried me down a few flights. He could have left me here to die, but instead he stayed. Are there really people this kind in the world?_

I winced as he made one last final adjustment. My arm did feel a little better since it now had support. He stood up and then sat next time me.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

_How can he do this in the dark? Does he have night vision or something?_ _X-ray vision? Is he Superman? Perhaps even a vampire? Okay, I'm officially insane._

I let out a small giggle in my state of delirium, which triggered my head to start pounding, again_. _

_Ouch! _

As I started to get better control of myself, I began to faintly hear people crying below. My body tensed as everything came rushing back to me.

The people leaping to their deaths... the roaring sound of the plane…Mike and Victoria were dead…Angela was gone...the pain when I fell down the stairs…it all came back to me in stunning and horrifying clarity.

I started shaking, remembering that my best friend was now dead and I was enclosed by darkness.

_This is not real. This is not real. I have to get out of here!_

I tried to lift myself with one arm with the help of the wall. Although I managed to get on my feet, two seconds later I started to fall forward. Once again, he rescued me by catching me at the waist.

"Let me carry you," he insisted, "You're too injured to walk."

I rolled my eyes. _I may be in a lot of pain, but I'm not helpless._

"No, thanks," I blurted as I released myself from his grip. Biting my lower lip while concentrating, I tried to walk, but couldn't. My knees were about to collapse and my head was spinning. I realized that I wouldn't be able to walk without passing out.

"Okay, maybe you could carry me down for a few flights. I'm pretty dizzy right now," I admitted as I rested against the wall. Two more seconds and I knew I would be face first on the floor.

He carefully scooped me up in a cradle position, my head resting on his chest. I stopped being dizzy, but my head still felt like a ton of bricks. He must have been really built because his chest and arms felt hard like stone. In fact, it wasn't very comfortable, but I didn't care at the moment.

"Wait a second...are you sure that it's alright to carry me down with the lights out?" I questioned as I attempted to look down below.

"What? The lights are working." he said as he paused in his steps.

"Shut the fuck up! I know they are out!" I shrieked, wanting to leap out of his arms.

"No, ma'am, they aren't..." he trailed off.

_What?_

I froze.

"But, I can't see anything..." I whimpered as my body began to tremble. I felt a surge of terror spread as I tried to look around.

_This can't be happening._

I saw nothing but total darkness.

_Oh. My. God. _

_I am blind._

So....were you surprised about Bella being blind?

Remember....reviews = teasers


	11. Chapter 9

Thanks to everyone that left me a review!

I really recommend that you listen to "Wake Me Up When Septembers Ends" by Green Day while reading this chapter. I listened to it over and over while writing it.

I do not own Twilight.

____________________________________________________________

**Chapter 9**

Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up when September ends

~ Green Day

**9:30 a.m.**

**EPOV**

The angel in my arms turned out to be a pain in the ass in disguise.

Once she began to stir, her eyelashes fluttered open like a baby waking up from a nap. My dead heart nearly skipped a beat, waiting to see the color of my angel's eyes. The furrow on her brow made her cute nose wrinkle as she shook her head.

_Cute? Did I just fucking say cute?_

She tried to turn her face away from my chest to look around, but didn't get very far. Her body became rigid for a second and she started to struggle to get out of my arms. That was obviously futile. Little did she realize that it took about all my will power to hold her without crushing her fragile body. She became hysterical and I told her to stop, which she did instantly. She looked up at me and her eyes appeared to be out of focus.

_Maybe she had some type of brain injury?_

We continued our way down as her sobs turned into sniffles. The debris started increasing, so I decided to check out things out below. I told her that I was going to set her down and she didn't answer. Carefully placing her on the step, I saw that the water was starting to soak through her pants. I cringed at the thought of her becoming cold, but I figured I wouldn't be gone long. Giving her a quick look over, I turned and ventured down. I had to move some debris, but it looked fine to continue.

When I informed her that it was fine for us to go down, she nearly jumped out of her skin. I went to put my arms beneath her legs to carry her, but she told me that she couldn't move. I had to catch myself from growling too loud in frustration. Noticing my irritation with her, she blurted out a snippy comment with a swift wave of her hand.

_This human girl is unbelievable! Does she not realize the danger we are in? Is she oblivious to what is all around her?_

I had to remind myself that she was in a lot of pain. I had to be patient and not rush her, causing her any additional suffering. I knew there was no way that I would leave her behind. I had no choice.

_She's literally going to be the death of me if we don't get out of here soon!_

I huffed and sat down.

Then she started with the questions. I couldn't come out and say, "Why, yes, the plane I was on purposely slammed into the building and somehow I am the only survivor." No, that wouldn't go over well.

Tapping my foot with my impatience growing, she looked down at my foot like she wanted to chop it off. I rolled my eyes and groaned internally.

_Okay. I've got to do something to help her or we will never leave. First, I need to put something on that wound on her head. Then, I need to do something with her broken arm._

I stood up, took a few steps down, and moved to stand in front of her. I took off my shirt, ripping a small piece of it into a strip. She jumped and I gave her a little smirk. She looked in my direction, but didn't make eye contact. Maybe her body could sense that she should stay away from me and not make eye contact? I took hold of her hand and placed the strip in it. She timidly thanked me.

The sweetness in her voice mesmerized me. I lightly blew across her face to let her inhale my breath. My breath relaxed her and she closed her eyes. Seeing that she had a little trust in me, only made me want to help her more. Although, did she really have a choice in the matter? I knew she was too injured to continue on by herself. I bent down and situated myself between her knees to get closer. We were face to face, her minty scented breath flowing across my face. I knew she could tell we were very close to each other and a beautiful, pink blush swept across her face. Something deep within me began to stir, which made me almost fall backwards. Honestly, it shocked the hell out of me. I assumed being so close to her brought out this carnal desire that I had never felt before. Surprisingly, I actually somewhat liked it.

_Huh?_

I worked diligently on the sling, while being careful not to touch her. I wanted to linger, but I knew we needed to move along, so I could get her to a hospital.

I've never been this close to a human before without killing them. Seeing her blood pulsating through her vein on her neck made me want to kiss it. The warmth of her skin radiated like the sun. I could picture us lying in a meadow enjoying the sun shining down on us. I let out a sigh and one of her eyes opened and her eyebrow went up out of curiosity. Thankfully, she closed her eyes again, for surely my intense stare would frighten her.

_Did I really just SIGH? What am I, a stupid fifteen year old girl drooling over a poster of the latest teen heart throb? Oh, good Lord. This is ridiculous. She's just a human girl, Cullen! Get a grip_!

I shook my head in disgust. I needed to concentrate on the task at hand and get us the hell out of there. I made the last few adjustments and asked her how she felt. The girl actually giggled.

_She must be in some state of delirium. Who giggles when they are in pain?_

She sat there for a moment. Suddenly, she tensed up and started shaking. She frantically tried to lift herself with one arm. Her legs gave out and she started to fall, but I caught her by the waist. I offered to carry her and she actually told me no.

_What is her problem?_

I lifted her into my arms. She asked me about carrying her down with the lights out. I stopped my step in mid air.

"What? The lights are working," I said, not understanding.

Then she proceeded to yell at me, accusing me of practically lying to her. I told her that the lights were really on. She frowned in confusion, looking all around her. Suddenly, her eyes widen and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She then whimpered in a small voice that she couldn't see.

_What? It never occurred to be that she could possibly be blind._

As I tried to gather my racing thoughts, her body almost slipped to the floor as she went limp in my arms. My breath caught in my throat, paralyzed in fear that she was gone. I immediately listened for the sound of her heart, which was beating strongly. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief.

A part of me was glad that she passed out because then I wouldn't have to deal with her questions or her independent attitude. I could get us out of the building quicker. Her body shook from my cold body, but there was nothing I could do.

As we came upon the seventy-ninth floor, I heard the heavy breathing of someone climbing up the stairs a floor below. A large woman appeared. She stopped in front of me. Her eyes widen quickly glancing at the girl then to me. She seemed almost out of breath.

"You can't go down!" She insisted, spreading her arms to block my way. "The floors below are filled with fire and smoke. We have to go to the roof to wait for rescue," she persisted, still not moving.

"We are going down, Miss. Please move," I tried to be polite, but firm.

She looked at me as though I was crazy. She squeezed the railing tighter. "No! You have to go up! It's too dangerous below," she scolded.

_I've had enough! I haven't killed a human in at least fifty years, but that could possibly change now if she doesn't get out of my way!_

"Move!" I growled.

She jumped, nearly falling backwards. I kept full eye contact as she sucked in her stomach, avoiding me touching her in any way. Smart woman.

Passing the seventy-seventh floor, I noticed flames in between the cracked walls. It looked to be small patches of fires here and there. Luckily, there wasn't much smoke at the stairs. One of the wallboards had collapsed into the staircase, but I was able to kick the debris out of the way and move on. Once I did that, the air cleared and it looked to be a straight shot the rest of the way.

The stairs were never ending. It wasn't long before I came upon a line of humans that caused my descent to go slower. People were coming out of the exits and most appeared to be injured. Some walked down staring down at the steps as though they were zombies. A pair of women clung to each other. People mumbled that they didn't know what happened. Most evacuees moved to the side to let me continue down at a faster pace when they saw the girl in my arms. But once I came upon the severely injured, my steps reduced speed and I had to follow behind them.

Around the sixty eighth floor, one of the exit doors abruptly flew open; a man with a red bandana covering his nose and mouth was carrying an injured woman on his back. He barked orders over his shoulder for others to follow him. Several people trailed behind them. I stopped to let him get ahead of me. I almost turned away in revulsion when I saw that the injured woman's back was severely burned, the skin peeling. Her eyes were closed and her face winced from the pain, but she still held on tight to his neck.

_How is she even conscious?_

From behind, I heard several people gasp and shriek. I looked over my shoulder and saw a man whom obviously had a broken leg. The double line of evacuating people immediately folded into a singe file, including myself. He hopped down each step with a look of resolve on his face. Once he passed me, I could see a small metal object embedded in his head.

_How is this guy alive? Not only is he alive, but is hopping down the stairs with one leg. Incredible!_

The first set of firefighters emerged from below the fifty second floor. They were moving in small packs, carrying a load of heavy equipment that slowed them down. I could tell that their bulky coats and leather-clad helmets made them extremely hot as their skin were flushed and sweating. People were handing out bottled water to the firemen. They were even pouring the water on the firemen's heads as they sat down on the steps from exhaustion. I wanted to tell them that it was useless to continue their journey up, but I didn't. Their fate was not in my hands. My only concern was being held in my arms.

On the fortieth floor landing, there was some type of official in an uniform, yelling through a bullhorn.

"The building is secure. You can go back to your floor. If you're a little winded, you can get a drink of water or coffee in the cafeteria."

_What? Is he insane? Doesn't he know of the devastation above us?_

Some of the humans left the stairwell, but most stayed. The man with the red bandana returned.

"Do you know if this floor is clear of people?"

"Uh…I don't know…"

"Okay. Thanks." He pulled the door open and disappeared into the smoke filled floor.

When we were getting close to the sixteenth floor, the girl began to stir in my arms. I didn't want her to start panicking and fight me if she became fully conscious.

Should I run for it? I could be on the ground floor in less than ten seconds if I pushed these people out of the way. I may actually accidentally kill on one of them.

Before I could decide, I stopped dead in my tracks. A firefighter was sitting next to a woman who appeared to be having an asthma attack. The back of his jacket had the name "Gavin" on it. He had his arm around the woman and was trying to get her to get up.

I was about to jump over them when, suddenly, the building started to twist and moan.

The fireman jumped up and looked at me. I could see the terror in his eyes.

Suddenly, there was this sense of tremendous energy, like being on a locomotive track with a train coming at us.

Her eyes flew opened, instantly filled with terror of the unknown.

I dropped to my knees and covered her body with mine. The walls started to crumble and buckled on top of me.

I held her to me tightly as the floor beneath us disappeared.

**Fireman POV**

My name is Jonathan Gavin.

I am a son.

I am a husband.

I am a father.

I am a firefighter.

Today started like any other day. I arrived at the firehouse around 7 a.m. for the morning shift. Being the nice guy that I am, I decided to make breakfast for my crew. While eating, we talked about the previous day's car fire. Chief Tommy Avery came in and sat across from me at the table. He was telling a funny story about his kids when his cell phone rang. He answered it. I glanced up at him and stopped my fork in mid air. The look on his face was of confusion and dread. He mouthed to me to turn on the television.

I reached over, turned on the television, and saw what would forever change our lives.

Flames were raging and black smoke was coming out of the North Tower's higher floors. The news was saying that a small plane crashed into the building.

How is that possible?

It was as though we were watching a movie, the scene was so unbelievable. No one moved a muscle; not a word was uttered. My mouth hung wide open and my body almost went numb. I realized there was no way we were going to be able to put out the fire with it being so big and so high. I knew then that people were going to die and firemen would get hurt.

Suddenly, something flashed across the screen and the other tower exploded. We all drew in our breath at the unbelievable sight. Anger enveloped my whole body for I knew this was no accident. We were under attack. Then we jumped up without saying a word to get our gear on. The alarm came in and the Chief started barking orders.

My heart raced as I geared up. I couldn't keep one thought straight.

_Who would do such a thing? How many civilians have already perished?_

We all jumped on the rigs and headed toward the Towers. My eyes were glued to the site of the Towers as we barreled down the streets. I could make out chairs, steel, concrete, and other items falling from the sky. The closer we got, I saw burned civilians wandering in the streets. People were running. Others were frozen in place, staring up at the Towers. I had to put my fear for them out of my head and get into work mode.

We parked at West and Vesey streets and Chief Avery walked to the command post that was set up there. He said our assignment was to assist burned victims that were reported to be on the twentieth floor.

As I approached the building, I came across a crowd of people standing outside with their hands covering their mouths. Debris was raining down from the sky and they just stood there, stunned. I yelled at them to get away from the building. That seemed to snap them from their bewilderment and they started running north. While watching them run, I observed another fire department putting out two cars that were on fire.

The whole street looked like a bomb had exploded. There were airplane parts and human remains everywhere. I heard something constantly smacking on the concrete on the side of the building, over and over again. I looked up and it took me a second to comprehend what I was seeing... the arms and legs from people jumping, waving in the air. I turned away, knowing I had to focus on the people I could save.

All the windows in the tower were blown out, the glass crunching beneath my boots as I entered the building. The lobby was rather huge and there was definitely chaos. Granite had fallen from the ceiling as did the chandeliers. I could see large cracks in the walls with water trickling out of them. There were no working elevators, the doors blown off. The smell of jet fuel coming from the elevator shafts permeated the air. A fireman was using the fire extinguisher to put out the fire that had engulfed a screaming woman, who was on her knees. The scene was so surreal. This was something that none of us had ever experienced.

The Chief pointed towards the entrance of a stairwell that had a steady steam of civilians coming out of it. While walking to the door, I observed a priest walking back and forth praying intensely. I said a little prayer to myself.

As we went up, there were hundreds of civilians heading down. Most were injured, some just dazed. We had to ask some of the civilians to help the injured; we needed to get to the fire upstairs. People kept to the right so we could pass on the left. It was getting harder with each step to continue. Our equipment was at least 25 pounds and it was extremely hot wearing our protective gear. After about fifteen floors, we decided to take a break. One of my guys, Paul Johnson, complained of having chest pains. I called on my radio for EMS to come up and treat him. The signal had a lot of static, but my request was acknowledged. I had one of my other guys stay with Paul and the rest of them followed me.

A woman, who appeared to be around 6 months pregnant, was sitting on the steps crying. An older woman was sitting beside her, trying to encourage her to get up. "I can't. I can't..." she cried as she was trying to catch her breath. Then she looked up at me with panic in her eyes.

I froze.

I had been so busy thinking about doing my job that I didn't even think about my family. My wife, Carol, was expecting our baby around Christmas. We wanted to keep the sex as a surprise. I had said that I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, but I secretly wanted a girl. I could see her having me wrapped around her finger the moment she came into this world. I was determined to get this woman out of there. I would hope that if my wife were in the same position, that someone would do the same.

I turned around and I instructed my guys to go ahead and I would help her. I told the other woman I would handle everything and she should go down. She hesitated for a second, looking at her friend. The pregnant lady gave her a weak smile and nodded. I knelt in front of her and gave her my air mask. With her hands shaking, she placed the mask over her face, closing her eyes. I called over the radio that I needed EMS to assist, but all I got was static. I called several more times, but still nothing.

I knew it was necessary to get her out of the building as soon as possible and get her checked out. With the stress of the situation, odds were she would go into premature labor. As gently as I could, I asked if she thought she could start walking down, yet. Her eyes widen and she slowly nodded her head. As I put my arm around her shoulders, the building suddenly swayed back and forth. I jumped up, glancing over my shoulder at a guy with a girl in his arms. He dropped to the floor, shielding her body with his. I gripped the railing above the pregnant women's head, trying to protect her and her unborn child from the falling debris.

An incredible gust of wind swept me off my feet, knocking me away from her. I knew I was about to die and I had only one thought in my mind.

Please, God, keep my family safe and let this be quick!

My name was Jonathan Gavin.

I was a son.

I was a husband.

I was a father.

I was a firefighter.

____________________________________________________________

**A/N: **I did a lot of research for this chapter. I wanted to get as many actual events and situations in it as possible. The woman blocking the way down, the man with the bullhorn, and the man with the broken leg and metal in his head were real. He did survive and I read his account of events in a book.

The man with the red bandana name was Welles Crowther. You can read about him at

crowthertrust (dot) org/welles_story (dot)htm foxnews(dot)com/story/0,2933,62579,00(d0t)html

He died in the South Tower while helping others.

There was a priest named Father Judge that was in the North Tower that was praying in the lobby. He was killed when the debris from the South Tower ripped through the lobby.

343 firefighters were killed on September 11. I thought it was important to include one of them with a POV. I read countless stories from firemen who were there. I tried to incorporate some of their stories into it. It was hard trying to decide which ones to include. There were so many. The names of the men are fictional.

Anyone that was in the South Tower when it collapsed didn't survive. Only 20 people that were in the North Tower when it collapsed survived. Their stories were amazing. I believe 14 firemen survived in the only stairwell still standing after the collapse. 2 Port Authority police officers survived with they dove into an elevator shaft. Another man was on the 22nd floor with the Tower fell and he ended up on top of a slab of concrete outside six stories high.

You probably already watched it when it came out in March 2002, but you should watch this again. It gives me goose bumps.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 Jules and Gedeon Naudet were filming a documentary on the FDNY. They followed firefighters into Ground Zero and created an amazing documentary of that day.

youtube(dot)com/watch?v=IIpLLYadyeo

Reviews = Teasers


	12. Chapter 10

Many thanks to Mel and Dani from Project Team Beta!

I do not own Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**9:59 a.m.**

**EPOV**

It happened so fast.

Just ten seconds.

I swiftly molded my body on top of hers, shielding her from the falling rubble. We were face to face, her breath panting. Her eyes were wide like saucers, pleading for help in her darkened world. Seeing the floor starting to crack beneath her head, I wrapped her legs around my waist to straddle me. With the sound of the building crumbling behind me, I yelled for her to hold on. Her legs instantly tightened around my waist. I cradled her head towards mine as hell opened up and we began to fall.

The force of the wind was unbelievable. It was like free falling in the outskirts of a hurricane, the wind throwing you around at will. My face felt like it was being sandblasted. I felt her screams vibrate against my chest, while we plunged into the unknown. I tighten my grip on her, concentrating on trying to protect her from everything that we were thrown against.

I saw four flashes of light when, suddenly, a steel beam struck me in my back, causing me to lose my hold on her. I desperately reached for her, but was only able to touch the tips of her curls. My arms, at once, felt barren. Her tiny body disappeared into the rubble, triggering an unfamiliar pain deep within me. I howled in agony, for I knew my soul was just ripped in two.

I continued to plummet, as my body was being tossed around like a pinball, until my body slammed into something hard. Landing face up, I was covered in plaster dust and chunks of ceiling. As the noise began to subside and the dust settled, I listened to my surroundings, praying I could hear her breathing nearby.

I heard nothing.

The silence was deafening.

I began to panic inside, fearing she was dead. My body trembled uncontrollably with every breath I took. If my heart had been beating, I knew it would have exploded from the terror. I wanted to cry out to her, but I didn't want to risk my voice to triggering a cave in. It had been decades since I felt so out of control and helpless.

_No! I am not a helpless human! I have to find her!_

My hands hurried to lift the debris off my chest but instead of moving it with ease, I strained. That made me hesitate for a second in confusion. Then it clicked. My attempt to shield us from the fall obviously caused me to be weaker than before. My body felt battered, like it had been tossed around by a tornado. This was not good.

I was able to clear the concrete off of me and had just enough space to sit up. I looked all around to assess the situation. It was dark except for a sliver of light above that reflected off of a small piece of glass near my foot. There wasn't enough space for me to look up, but I knew that it would be a tough climb to get to the top especially with her in my arms. Although, that tiny bit of light gave me hope in getting her out of there.

_Am I strong enough to do it on my own? Should I trek up the ruins and find help? Was there even anyone above to help us? I have no clue on what happened in the outside world. Should I leave her behind, for surely there's no way she was still alive? Could a human possibly survive such a catastrophe?_

But I didn't want to go without her, even if she wasn't alive. Having her lifeless in my arms would be better than nothing at all. I cringed just thinking about her being dead. I shook my head as I felt shame for thinking such a thing.

_How could I possibly be thinking of her as being dead when I haven't searched for her, yet_?

I pulled myself together and sat very still, listening for any signs of life. My head snapped up for I faintly heard shallow breathing several stories below me.

"Please let that be her! Please let that be her" ran nonstop through my mind. My selfish vampire nature of only protecting myself wasn't taking over and in the back of my mind, that fact was scaring me somewhat. The only other beings that I had ever cared about were my family. Anyone else meant nothing to me and now all of a sudden this little girl was my universe. We've only spoken a few words, yet, I felt I couldn't imagine surviving without her.

_How couldn't that be? Maybe…maybe she was my singer? _

I thought of her as mine, but not in the sense of an object. In fact, it was more like she owned me! I had heard that there was one human in this world for each vampire that that calls to you. In other words, that human's blood was like no other and a vampire can't resist it. But that really wasn't the case for me. Her blood didn't call to me like it should. The moment her scent engulfed me, I should have this uncontrollable urge to drain her. I knew this had happened to Emmett many, many years ago. But the strange thing was that I didn't want to kill her. I yearned to shelter her from this malicious world. Not only did I wish to keep her safe, but I _needed_ her.

_Did this happen to other vampires, too? Carlisle and the others hadn't mentioned anything like this before. If she wasn't my singer, what was she? My love?_

_What is wrong with me? This doesn't make any sense. Vampires live off of humans, we don't love them. This is so fucking confusing! Here I am, risking my life and my family's lives with possible exposure and I actually don't care. Well, I do care, but not enough to leave her behind._

I threw caution to the wind, burrowing and crawling my way down. I felt like I was going at a snail's pace, moving with anticipation, inch by inch. I zeroed in on the breathing, nothing was more important to me than that sound at that moment.

_What if it's not her? What if her body is somewhere beneath all of this concrete? What if I never find her?_

That last thought sent me into overdrive as I continued to tunnel my way downward. Bits of concrete scraped against my stone like skin. Metal jabbed into my side and I yanked it away. I was desperate to get to her and nothing was going to stop me. My senses were instinctively telling me to go up to safety, but my heart told me to continue down through the maze of debris. I grew weaker and weaker by the moment, but my determination kept me going.

As I got closer, I could hear the crackling of fire just a few feet ahead. Smoke started to seep out of the small crevices from the wreckage. I caught my breath as I heard a moan just behind it.

I closed my eyes as I braced myself for the worst, that the person behind the ruins wasn't her.

I painstakingly removed some bits and pieces, careful not to cause anything to collapse. As soon as there was a hole barely large enough to see what was on the other side, a wave of smoke smacked me in the face, knocking me over.

_Wait! That wasn't smoke that knocked me over…it was her scent!_

I lay there in a daze, grinning. Her scent assaulted my senses, creating a warm sensation that spread throughout my body. It was heavenly and I didn't want it to end.

The shock quickly wore off when the smell of the smoke got my attention, again. I scrambled to my knees. Through the smoky haze, there appeared to be a tent-shaped cocoon made out of concrete and tangled steel. A small fire of burning paper lit up the protected pocket, the flames casted shadows along on the edges. Just a few feet from the fire was a small pile of rubble, I saw a tiny foot sticking out beneath it. I wanted to scream from terror and cry for joy at the same time!

I was tempted to throw things out of my way to get to her, but I stopped myself. Slowly, I hollowed out a hole big enough for me to crawl through, all the while listening to her heart beating. It was weak, but it was there. I sighed. For a brief second, relief washed over me. But in the next second, that relief was replaced with dread.

_I know that's her, but what if her body is completely broken? What if she is missing a limb? Will I be able to keep her alive?_

Once I made it inside the cocoon, I rushed over and put out the fire within two seconds. Then I hurried to her to get her out, from beneath the pile of rubble. I threw the large pieces of rubble that blocked my view of her. Curly, brown locks emerged until her tip of her nose appeared with the rest of her face following behind it. Dust covered her gorgeous face. As I gently brushed it off, she began to cough and moan. She tried to move her head, but it didn't budge. I strained with moving the beams away from her. I pulled one beam to the side and did the same with the other.

I quickly glanced over her body. She did have cuts and some bruises. My makeshift sling was barely hanging on to her arm. Other than the broken arm, I couldn't see any other major injuries. I didn't know if she had any internal injuries.

She started to whimper, but kept her eyes closed. I wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, but didn't know if I could keep such a promise.

I was afraid to move her because I didn't know the extent of her injuries.

_What if my moving her will injure her more? Who knows how long it will take me to get up to the top. I don't know how stable this place is. It could rain down on us at any minute. Would I be able to protect her a second time as weak as I am now? Maybe I should go alone and make a path for us? It would be easier and faster for me to do it by myself. But, god, I don't know if I can tear myself away from her! It was a miracle not only to find her, but to find her alive! Now, how can I just leave her behind? What if she dies while I am gone? I can't stand the thought of her dying alone. Fuck, I can't stand the thought of her dying, period. This is killing me! What should I do?_

I shook my head in frustration. Rubble turned into sand as I unconsciously crushed it in my hands. I wiped them on my pants in disgust. I was overwhelmed with anxiety and felt the urge to vomit. I looked down at her searching her face to, perhaps, find the answer. Her face only spoke of the pain she had endured. Her left eye was swollen, turning a shade of purple which made me wince. Her cheeks were still wet from crying.

As a vampire with a different lifestyle than most, I had to make the difficult decision each day to fight my natural instinct of killing humans. Although it had been decades since I killed anything but animals, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I slipped up. We all have our moments. But now here I was, sitting in a cave of doom wanting to _save_ my natural prey.

I continued to debate the pros and cons of leaving her. Because my strength was already weakening by the minute, I felt that she would have a better chance of survival if I looked for a way out by myself, instead of just sitting there protecting her.

I decided to go.

"I'll be right back, love. I need to see if I can find us a way out," I whispered in her ear. I actually wanted to kiss those luscious lips, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to stop once I began. I longed to hold her in my arms and never let her go. I turned to crawl away when, suddenly, I heard her say something.

"Angel…" she murmured.

_Did she just call me Angel?_

I spun back around, searching her face. She looked to be in pain, but her eyes remained closed. I lifted my hand to her face, and gently cupped it while caressing it with my thumb.

Touching her skin sent a wave of desire through my body. She radiated warmth in my cold, dead hands. I couldn't help but lower my face just inches from hers. With her breath flowing across my face, a fire ignited in the pit of my stomach. I had to roll to my back to avoid collapsing on her. The wonderful, glorious fire was taking over me and I was powerless to stop it. Many moons ago, a raging, unbearable fire consumed me, killing my body. But this fire was different. Every part of my being exploded into ecstasy. With my eyes closed, I soaked it all in, savoring the moment. A grin formed on my face, and for the first time, it was from pure joy.

As the flames subsided, I knew I had to touch her again. I rolled back over to my side, anxious to feel her underneath my finger tips. This could have been my only chance to be so close. I tenderly wiped more of the dirt off her face. I wanted to stare into her eyes, but they remained closed. I needed for her to see the passion I felt for her. I ran my fingers along her face. Her head seemed to lean more toward my hand.

I sighed.

_This is so amazing. My world was now complete instead of dark and lonely. This fragile human now what I live for._ _This is so hard to comprehend. How did this happen to me? _

_Was it fate? Was it love?_

_Would she be able to understand such an emotion coming from someone she knew as a total stranger? Hell, I didn't understand it myself, much less expect her to do so. _

"Are you awake?" I whispered.

She didn't answer me, but my breath seemed to relax her somewhat, the scowl on her face lessened. I hoped she was unconscious, again, for I could only imagine the pain she would be in once she was awake.

_I've got to get her out of here! If there is truly a god, please keep her safe until I return!_

I didn't want to risk her cocoon collapsing, so I decided to start tunneling straight ahead and then up. I glanced back at her one more time, longing to stay by her side. After digging several feet away, I started boring and climbing my way up.

Not long after I began, I heard a man cry out for help. I paused for a moment, but then continued with my work. I didn't want to jeopardize my girl's safety to help the man. It was bad enough that I had to figure out how to tunnel out of there without debris falling on her, crushing her. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

I came upon what appeared to be the opening of an elevator shaft that had mostly survived the collapse. A huge piece of ceiling blocked nearly all of the entrance, but it looked just big enough for us to crawl over. I wriggled my way to the top of the pile and looked in the elevator.

_Maybe I could temporarily place her in here until I can figure how to get her to safety? Who knows how long it will take me to get to the surface. I don't want to drag her everywhere causing her more pain. _

I could feel my energy slowly disappearing. I had to get us to the elevator before my energy completely evaporated. All of a sudden, a familiar rumble came from above and everything started to shake violently.

I quickly clambered back to her, grabbing her by the arm that wasn't broken. She let out a scream, but I had no time to be gentle. I crawled as fast as I could, dragging her behind me. Ignoring her shrieks, I knew I only had a few seconds to get us in the elevator shaft before everything deteriorated. I climbed into the elevator and with the last bout of strength; I jerked her over my head as hard as I could. She crashed into the back elevator wall with a great thud. I threw myself over her body, giving my whole being to her.

_Had we survived the first collapse just to turn around and die in this one?_

"On a day of terror, miracles were rare. For the 20 who survive today, the difference between life and death was that they could see sunlight after the collapses or were with someone who could. It was, in the truest sense, a ray of hope." Dennis Cauchon and Martha T. Moore

A/N: Thanks to everyone that has left me a review. You just don't know how much they help me keep motivated to write.

Reviews = Teaser

Stars are great, too!


	13. Chapter 11

Yes, I know...I suck. It's been awhile since I updated. My mental disorder sucks and I do what I can when I can. Please do hate me!

Thanks to Dani and Mel from Project Team Beta!

I don't own Twilight.

**Chapter 11**

**4:19 p.m.**

**Bella**

My eyes flew opened and I gasped. In the wicked darkness of hell, it felt like Satan himself was pulling me by the arm as though I was a rag doll. The useless cries that spewed through my lips remained muted, due to the sound of the world crumbling all around me. The beast continued dragging me over and through the rubble, ignoring my cries. My long hair felt like it was nearly being ripped from my scalp as it strained beneath my body. Sharp, unidentifiable objects sliced through my skin with such ease, one would think I was made out of delicate thin paper. I continued to scream and kick until I was abruptly flying through the air like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum and tossing their favorite toy. Before I had time to blink, my body crashed into something hard like steel and my world became black.

Once again, reality crashed upon me when I was able to open my eyes as I could see nothing. I started coughing up the dirt trapped in my lungs as screams came rushing out. I was paralyzed with fear, unable to move. I was disoriented and it took me a second to realize that I still remained in the pits of hell. There was something heavy draped over my face and I quickly realized it was my broken arm. I instantly moved into a fetal position so I could cradle it. I became hysterical as a result of the all-encompassing pain and terror filled my every thought.

"Help me!" I sobbed, as I prayed that someone, anyone would hear me.

_God, please don't let this be real! I don't want to die! I'll do anything you want me to, if you will let me live. Please!_

Suddenly, I heard a woman above me cry out for help. My heart skipped a beat. I painfully rolled onto my back.

"I'm here! I'm here!" I tried to scream, but it came out as a harsh whisper. I had no choice, but to lie there listening to her. Her pleas were torturing my heart, and I wanted to yell for her to stop. God help me, I did! Tears poured out of my eyes as I felt powerless to help her. The woman continued to call out for what seemed like forever before her voice, eventually, faded away. The selfish part of me was relieved that she had stopped her cries. I prayed that she hadn't died, but deep down I knew she was gone. Not only was I feeling pain from my body, but sorrow in my heart. No one deserved to die like that. No one!

The sudden silence caused my chest to constrict and I began to bawl. Curling back into a ball, I accepted the despair that engulfed me from head to toe.

_No! Please don't leave me! What if she was the only person that had survived other than me? What if nobody finds me? What if more planes had destroyed New York? Would anyone bother to look for survivors here? Is this how I was meant to die? This isn't fair! What had I done to deserve this? I'm a good person! Bad things aren't supposed to happen to good people! Is this what it is like when someone says, "Every man for himself?" You feel bad for the other person, but you're glad it was them and not you?_ I felt shame spread through me_. This is not who I am. But what could I do? I am stuck here all alone. Is this God's version of hell for me? All my life I craved, yearned for solitude, wanting to avoid people...to avoid life. And now here I was, trapped in this desolate place, wishing for another human, another voice. _

I wanted to get up and dig my way out of here, but my arm was worse than useless and I knew I was pretty weak. The coolness from the blood soaking through my shirt had me shivering.

_Blood! Augh! The thought of it makes me want to hurl._

I cringed. Although I was surrounded by darkness, I could feel major cuts all over my body. My body was a fountain, with blood gradually leaking out of its cracks. I could feel small puddles forming underneath me. My matted mane was covered congealed blood and it stuck to my face.

Just when I was about to give up hope, a soft moan came from a few feet behind me. I flinched, a little shriek escaped from my lips. With my heart pounding in my ears, I quickly turned my head over my shoulder to look back, desperate to find the source.

_Someone is here with me! I'm not alone!_

"Help me, please," I whined, hoping I wasn't imagining things.

I waited for what seemed like an eternity for a response, but all I got was another moan. Then, I realized that the person may not be able to talk.

"Are you okay?" I whispered into the abyss.

Since the groan came from behind me, I slid my leg back, hoping my foot would come in contact with this person. I felt nothing, but chunks of rubble.

"Can't move…" a male voice called out in a whisper.

A shiver ran down my spine.

_I remember that voice!_ _That's the voice of my angel. It has to be!_

"Are you the one that...saved me?" I asked, as hope began to swell in my chest.

I had to know if it was truly him.

"Yes…"

A sudden wave of relief hit me in the chest and it began to swell.

_He wasn't a figment of my imagination. He was real and here with me!_

I desperately wanted to reach out my hand, but although he sounded so close, I knew he wasn't close enough to touch. I didn't know if we were going to die but if so, I wasn't going to die alone. I decided to roll myself in his direction until I hit him or something. I knew that I could cause further damage to my arm, but at that moment, I didn't give a shit. I _needed_ him.

"I'm going to try to roll myself over to you," I said over my shoulder, as I got myself ready for some serious pain.

"No…don't. Your arm…" he quickly pleaded.

I didn't bother to respond. I extended my leg in front of me and my foot grazed against something hard. There seemed to be some type of wall in front of me. I channeled my anger and pain into my legs as I leaned to the side to get leverage and pushed myself off. The taste of blood flowed on my tongue as I bit down on my lip, trying not to howl from the pain. I quickly rolled twice until I collided into something solid.

I reached out into the shadows to feel the object and it appeared to be a support beam or something similar.

_That's not him!_

Immediately, terror swept through my body and my head began to spin. I tried to sit up, but couldn't.

"Are you okay?" His panicked voice rang just on the other side.

_He's right there! Thank goodness!_

Truthfully, I wasn't okay. The deep cuts and scratches consumed my whole body and I could tell I was getting weaker from the loss of blood. I was also hurting all over from being battered and bruised, but I didn't want him to know these things. I decided that I would at least try to put on a brave face.

"Yes, but I can't climb over this thing reach you. Are you close enough to put your hand on top of it? You sound so close," I implored.

"No, I can't," he moaned.

The defeat in his voice made my heart lurch and my so-called brave face disappeared into the dreary blackness that encircled me.

"Are you sure you can't at least try or something? Please!" I begged. I knew it was selfish of me to expect him to do more than he was capable of when he had done so much for me already, but I couldn't help it. The darkness seemed to be closing in on me and I wanted to touch another human being before it swallowed me up whole.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I can't," his defeated voice croaked.

_Great, Bella. Now, you've offended him._

"I'm sorry!" I cried, "I'm just really scared. The thought of you being so close, but yet so far, is driving me insane. I don't know why I have this longing to touch you, but I do," I blurted as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

_Where in the hell did that come from?_

I unconsciously held my breath, praying that I didn't just make a fool out of myself.

_Hell, what does it really matter? Who knows if we'll actually make it out of here alive, anyway? _

"Alright," he said with a heavy sigh.

I breathed deeply, trying to remain calm even though I was jumping for joy on the inside. I eagerly place my hand on top of the beam. I held it still, listening for any movement on his part. I felt a breeze of cool air, and then an unbelievably cold hand placed on top of mine.

And I knew I was safe.

**11:00 a.m.**

**Edward**

The sound of the top of the elevator giving in to the pressure above echoed through the tiny shaft. Lying on my back, I watched as it continued to struggle, shrieking in protest. After a few seconds, it lost its battle, and the ceiling rested only a few feet above my head.

Just as the dust was settling, something punched me in the gut, causing me to curl up from the pain. The glorious scent of syrupy, sweet blood penetrated my senses, triggering the monster in me to roar into life. Hot like the pits of hell, it decided to reside in my stomach.

Without thinking, I leap into a crouch, almost hitting my head on the collapsed ceiling, searching for the source of such temptation. Instantly, my knees gave out and I was flat on my back again. I felt the concrete slab beneath me crack, nearly splitting in two. I felt disoriented as the room was spinning. I was already feeling weak, and her scent assaulting my nostrils wasn't helping. I was like a caged lion.

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to get my head on straight. First, I needed to stop breathing in the insatiable scent in order not to go crazy and let my animal instincts take over. I inhaled one last breath, noting the floral undertones. The monster inside screamed in protest of no longer inhaling her perfume.

Using my right arm, I slowly raised myself into a seated position. Through the dust, I could see her just a few feet away from me. I felt dizzy, yet, a slight grin formed at the sight of the angel sharing the pits of my hell. A measly ceiling beam separated me from my desire. My eyes quickly went to the source of my ecstasy and I felt excitement like a child on Christmas morning. Her body lay crumpled on the ground like a broken doll and she appeared to be unconscious. Her broken arm rested over her face like she was trying to block out the nonexistent sun. My tongue twitched at the wonderful site of her blood oozing out of the lacerations on her ivory skin.

I was physically weak, but the fire in my throat commanded me to go to her to consume her. I closed my eyes tightly, as I fought with every fiber in my being not to obey. It was a tug of war between wanting to kill her and wanting to save her. It was the oddest and most arduous thing I had ever experienced. My body trembled as the monster whispered in my ear, encouraging my vampire desires to take over. A sudden moan from her startled me, and I unintentionally inhaled her luscious scent once again. My body automatically arranged itself into a crawl over the beam and straddled itself just an inch over her. My head began to throb with such a quick response and I wanted to collapse from it. My weak, shaking arms barely held me up as I looked intensely at her face. The blood glistened as it seeped out of her body onto the floor. I held my breath. The monster within dared me to take her.

"_She is just a mere human. What a waste not to enjoy such a magnificent gift." _His crimson eyes danced over her body.

"_She isn't just a _mere_ human. She is __**my **__human_," I hissed back at the monster, trying to shield her from him.

"_Ha!" _the beast roared. Suddenly, his facial expression changed from madness to one of sympathy as he placed his hand on my shoulder_. "Oh, come now. You've been such a good boy the last seventy years. Surely you realize one time won't hurt anyone. Nobody else is here. Who's going to know? I know I won't tell," _it laughed, giving my shoulder a slight squeeze.

_Well, maybe this one time. She smells so delicious…_

Still holding my breath, I lowered my face to let my nose graze her cheek. Oh, the sheer warmth of it almost made my knees buckle! My tongue automatically appeared from between my lips like a snake tasting the air. Excitement rushed through me as the tip of my voracious tongue flicked only millimeters from her glorious, pulsating neck. My eyes rolled to the back of my head knowing the ecstasy that was waiting for me just beneath her skin.

_N0!_

I quickly leaped over to the other side of the beam and rolled to lie on my back.

_No! Why is this just happening now? I had no desire whatsoever for her blood, and now it's all I want!_ _Did this last collapse jolt my vampire senses back to the way they were supposed to be?_

I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't have time to figure out the answers to those questions. I needed to get a hold of myself before I did something I would regret later.

I decided to distract myself so I looked above me. Although the ceiling of the elevator shaft had been crumpled a few feet above my head, it saved us from being crushed. I closed my eyes, listening to everything that surrounded me. There were fires small and large all around me; luckily none of the smoke was entering our little space.

I heard the unwelcome thoughts of what seemed like a handful of people slowly dying all around me. Their prayers, promises to God, went unanswered. One by one, each thought, each voice vanished into thin air. Only the sound of fires burning, rubble settling, and my girl breathing not far from me were what that remained. Sweet Jesus. She was alive and just beyond my fingers. But it was pure torture because I couldn't move unless I wanted to take her life.

_Damn it all to hell! _

I laid there for hours counting both her breathing and heartbeats. Every one of them gave me hope that she would make it, and yet, my craving for her blood increased with every pump.

The sound of coughing jolted me out of my thoughts. The coughing was quickly followed by screaming. I heard some movement followed by more shrieks. She was crying, screaming and all I could do was lie there. I wanted to help her, but I knew it was too dangerous. The monster started tapping me on my shoulder. I refused to acknowledge him. He huffed and sat back down, patiently waiting for me to give in.

I couldn't handle her screaming, her pain. I wanted to turn my head away, but I couldn't.

_Please take away her pain. Let me be the one._

She gasped as a woman's voice cried out above us. Her heartbeat increased and I heard her struggled to call out to the woman. All that came out was a harsh whisper. It broke my heart knowing she had to listen to the woman's desperate cries.

"I don't want to die alone," she whimpered like a wounded kitten.

I cringed at her cries. I decided to let out a slight moan to let her know that I was there, but I wanted to appear to be unable to move.

I heard her catch her breath. She began to cry for me to help her, but I knew it was best for me not to move.

She recognized my voice and, to my dismay, said that she was coming to me.

_No! No! No! Please don't! You don't understand…I WILL kill you if you come closer! For the love of God! Stay away from me!_

Before I could get the words out, I heard her groan and a new perfume of blood infiltrated the air. My eyes rolled to the back of my head at the divine aroma.

Two quick rolls and she collided with the beam. She groaned and didn't say anything. She was breathing, but I couldn't tell if she was unconscious or not.

Panic spread through me and I called out to her.

She began to beg me to try to touch the top of the beam. I tried to play it off that I couldn't, but she insisted that I try.

And then she said something that tore down my defenses….

_She longed to touch me._

I let out a heavy sigh because I couldn't resist her pleads. I willed my trembling hand to reach out to her. The closer my hand got to the top of the beam, the more aware I became of a magnetic sensation flowing from my fingertips to the very core of my being. The fervent heat radiating from her skin as my hand hovered over her for a split second caressed me. I hesitated because I knew that my unnaturally cold finger would frighten her, but I greedily submitted to my desires and reveled in the sensation. My hand shook with anticipation as I lowered it. I closed my eyes and held my breath bracing myself for the rejection that I knew would soon follow.

Instead of rejecting my touch, her hand relaxed and she breathed out a sigh of what sounded like contentment. My eyes widened in amazement, as I came to realize that not only did her fragile hand mold perfectly beneath mine, but she seemed to take comfort in the contact.

_Why didn't she recoil from my hard, icy touch? Surely her natural human instinct was to run from me. _

_Why does this feel so right?_

Her lovely sigh appeared to almost be a sign of encouragement.

_Dare I intertwine my fingers with hers?_

* * *

**A/N:** I am working on the next chapter so hopefully I will have it published in a week or two. Don't give up on me!


	14. Chapter 12

Many thanks to Bonnysammy from Project Team Beta!

I don't own Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

When everything you have goes away

You realize that nothing means a thing

Everything you thought was a big deal

Now you see it all and what is real

~ "Still Alright" Adam Merrin

**5:39 P.M.**

**Bella**

My fingers naturally spread for his to intertwine before he even placed his entire palm on mine. It felt so good to have a hand to hold, but his icy touch made it almost unbearable. It was just _so _cold that it caused me shiver uncontrollably. I tried to stay calm and not let it show, but my teeth chattered non stop and seemed to echo in the rubble. He must have realized that his cold hand was the cause because he started to lift it off of mine. I quickly flipped my wrist switched so my hand on top of his. His fingers stiffened for a split second, and then they relaxed and grasped mine. I smiled.

I wondered if his hand was so cold because he'd lost a lot of blood. It was freezing laying here in the dark, but the temperature of his hand just didn't seem natural. For some reason, it brought me some comfort. How odd was that?

I could tell that my adrenaline was wearing off. The pain spread throughout my body. My open wounds were throbbing like something that was about to explode. I could only imagine how much blood I had lost. I winced from the pain when I realized that his hand was pressed down on a cut, the bits of dirt embedded in the gash. Laying flat on my back on the hard floor, I felt small pieces of rubble digging into my spine. I wanted to sit up, but I didn't have the energy to do so. I was just so weak.

My mind started racing a million miles a minute.

_How long have we been here? Hours? Days? Weeks? Surely not weeks. I wouldn't be alive after being unconscious that long. Maybe days? How bad am I injured? Am I going to die? How long would that take? How much would I suffer?_

I could feel the panic rising from my gut, and I tried to swallow it back down. I mustered up the energy to talk to the guy in hopes of getting some answers.

"Do you know how long we've been here?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"I think a few hours. I'm really not sure. How's your arm?" he asked.

"Its fine," I said as I suppressed a groan.

_Liar. Liar. Pants on fire._

A new wave of tears gushed from my eyes as I tried to move my broken arm closer to my chest. I had to choose between letting go of his hand to readjust my arm or continue to hold it and suffer through the pain. I chose the latter.

We became silent, lost in our own thoughts. His thumb casually stroked my skin in a continuous circular motion that was almost hypnotizing. I laid there in amazement at how this person seemed to unwittingly melt my bitter, frozen heart.

_How could this be? I don't this guy from Adam. Is it because he saved me so many times? Is it just gratitude…or something more? Well, that's silly, right? I mean, come on, Bella. Get a grip! What makes you think he could possibly care about you? You're obviously some stupid weak girl that he took pity on. Why he did such a thing is beyond me. Geez, Bella, you really are pitiful. _

Tears poured from my eyes when I realized how lonely I truly was.

I didn't have dreams or aspirations to do, or be, anything. I've always had what could have been called a pessimistic view on life. I had no drive, no ambitions. But now in this bleak, hellish place, I longed for morsel of some of that emotion they called hope.

I wondered was it was like to really connect with someone. Rarely seeing couples staying together, I didn't believe in soul mates. But, what if by some slim chance, there really was such a thing?

_Is there someone out there that I'm meant to be with? If I survive this, would I eventually find him and get married? Have children? Possibly have the white picket fence that most people dream about? _

Though these thoughts were so foreign to me, it didn't mean they weren't implausible.

What if I was meant to be with _him_? How else would you explain everything we've been through? What were the odds of us still being together in the rubble after losing each other twice?

For the love of God, I almost believed it was fate.

I began to feel nauseous and my head started spinning. I closed my eyes in an attempt make it stop. It helped a little. I couldn't open my eyes as exhaustion took over. All I wanted to do at that moment was fall asleep.

_Just a few minutes…it's not like I have somewhere to go._

Just as I was about to drift off into LaLa Land, I felt my hand being shaken.

"What?" I slurred through my dry mouth. I would have given anything for some water.

"Hey! Don't fall asleep," he said in a sharp voice. Instantly, my temper began to rise.

_What's his problem? Why won't he let me sleep?_

"But I'm so tired. I just want to sleep for a _few _minutes," I mumbled on the verge of sleeping.

"No! I mean…um…," he said. "What's your name?"

"It's Bella," I replied, as I attempted to concentrate on staying awake.

"Bella…" he murmured my name like it was a soothing balm.

_Why did he say it like that?_

Hearing his honeyed voice say my name in such a way, sent a chill down my spine.

"My name is Edward. I need for you to stay awake for me, please. You need to keep talking." I could hear the anxiety escalating in his voice.

_Edward…_

Not Ed or Eddy, but Edward. It was an old fashioned name that you normally don't hear someone having at my age, but it sounded so right, so perfect.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I tried to gather my thoughts together and fought the urge to pass out.

I suddenly realized that I'd been so caught up in my own pain and fear that I hadn't thought about how he was doing.

"How hurt are you?" I asked, praying that he hadn't been hurt too seriously.

He hesitated for a moment.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little beat up."

I rolled my eyes even though the gesture was unseen.

_Liar. I know it has to be more than that! Otherwise he would be next to me. Well, at least I think he would. Whose pants are on fire now?_

I wasn't exactly telling the truth about my condition, so I didn't want to argue.

"What happened? I remember the building falling apart and us falling. Then someone pulling me by the arm and throwing me. Was that you?" I asked.

"Yes, I had found an elevator shaft for us to hide in. The building started to fall again, so I had to drag you to safety. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. I didn't have any other choice." A hint of remorse filled the air.

I shook my head in anger.

_Seriously? Why is he apologizing to me? For Christ's sake! I have no doubt he would have been able to make it out of the building if it wasn't for me slowing him down!_

I gave myself a moment to calm down before I replied.

"No…don't be sorry. You risked your life more than once for me, a total stranger who yells at you and demands you hold her hand." I gave a fake, weak laugh.

Rapid images flew through my head as I thought about what he did for me. Remembering the gentleness of his touch when he worked on securing my arm, waking up to the feeling of his body shielding me from the disintegrating building, and now him trying to keep me from falling asleep, brought more tears to my eyes. He was an unselfish, brave man whom reminded me of my father. A lump formed in my throat, making it almost impossible to speak.

I croaked, "Thank you." I meant it with all my heart.

"You're welcome," he replied, giving my hand a light squeeze.

I began to wonder how he felt about having to hold my hand. Did he think I was pathetic girl that needed to hold "daddy's hand?" Maybe he wanted to hold my hand? Although he was a guy, surely he was scared, too? I knew men didn't like to appear weak, but I didn't think of him as weak. I assumed he was injured just like me, maybe even worse.

His thumb continued to caress my hand. I wondered if he was doing it unconsciously or trying to soothe me so I wouldn't freak out.

_What if his injures are so bad that he ends up dying and I'm left here all alone_? The thought made my chest tighten_. I know this is wrong, but I want to die first. It would be pure torture to lie here in the dark, unable to move. I would totally go insane!_

I noticed my arm started to tingle and felt almost numb from holding my hand up to hold his. The warm blood from the top of my head started to get in my left eye and it burned. I really needed to let go to wipe the blood off my face, but I couldn't get myself to do it.

"How are you doing?" he asked, giving my hand a little squeeze.

I didn't want to, but I began to release his hand. His hand instantly clamped over mine like a vice.

"Please, I have something in my eye." I whined. I didn't want to let him know that it was blood.

He gently let go and my arm fell to my side like dead weight. I had to consciously send a message from my brain to my fingers for them to wiggle. They gradually went from a somewhat deadened feeling to a prickling sensation. Next, I had to concentrate on getting my hand to wipe my bloody face. I felt the grains of dirt on the back of my filthy hand mixing in with blood as I tried to wipe my eyes. In doing so, I got dirt and blood in my eyes. It hurt so much that I wanted to rip them out.

_Shit!_

Despair smacked me in the face, leaving its hideous mark behind. My body instantly went numb as though it was shutting down.

_Who knows if there is anything to live for? My sweet friend, Angela, was dead. Was the rest of America under attack? The world? What about my dad? What about Renee? Are they still alive? Would I want to continue to live knowing they were gone? I can't do this! I'm so drained. Maybe it would be better to fall asleep and never wake up? I don't know how much more I can take! I don't know which is worse…the pain that engulfed my body or the fear of the unknown._

I couldn't believe I was giving up, but I was. I just didn't have enough fight left in me. My body went limp from the defeat that washed over me. I commenced to surrendering to the darkness that had once frightened me.

It terrified me no more.

"No! Bella, you must stay awake! You may have a concussion."

"But I'm so tired, and I hurt all over. I don't know if I can stay awake, Edward." I wheezed.

"_Please_, Bella, talk to me," he pleaded.

The desperation in his voice was almost unbearable. Hearing his plea sent a sharp pain to my heart. I turned my head away in shame.

_Please leave me alone!_

"I can't talk anymore," I gasped, closing my eyes, waiting for it all to end.

"Okay, can you give me your hand?"

_He wants to hold my hand?_

Without warning, my will to live sprung back into life. This small request was all I needed for hope to blossom in my chest.

_Stay awake…stay awake…breathe…breathe…_

"Bella, can you hear me?" His cries seemed to be growing distant.

_Yes, I can hear you!_ The words formed in my mind, but didn't make it to my lips.

"Bella!"

I knew he had shouted my name, but it seemed to echo from far away into the darkness.

_No! No!_

A violent sensation filled my lungs like hot burning coals were being shoved in them. With my hand wrapped around my throat, my feeble attempts to scream were futile. Little by little, the fire unmercifully spread through my body.

_Please, God! It burns! I thought dying was supposed to be peaceful & painless. Please get it over with! _

Suddenly, I felt a hand gently cup my face. It was so soft, so warm.

_Who is this? What's going on?_

With one last dash of will power, my eyes opened to a wonderful site. A grin appeared upon my face and I felt as though I was home.

"Angela…"

A/N: Do you still love me after reading my cliffhanger???

Reviews = Teasers


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Many thanks to bonnysammy from PTB for her helpཀ

I don't own Twilight.

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And I'd give up forever to touch you  
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now

~ "Iris" Goo Goo Dolls

**5:39 P.M.**

**Edward**

How could someone so small and fragile be so intimidating?

The interlacing of our fingers was like flames besieging ice, melting them into one. The incredible sensation wrapped itself around me like a blanket straight from the dryer. I laid there staring ahead savoring the moment.

Though her touch brought great warmth to me, mine obviously had the opposite effect on her. I could hear the nearly constant chatter of her teeth, and I knew that I wasn't helping her. As I slowly began to retract my hand, she quickly snatched it back as though it was her lifeline.

I smiled. Hope exploded through my chest with the knowledge that she wanted to continue to hold my hand even though it brought great discomfort to her. Sure, I could have easily removed my hand from hers, but my heart didn't want to listen.

Out of nowhere, the hideous beast of greed appeared before my eyes, again. He casually strolled to the beam like he was taking a Sunday walk through the park. I wanted to look away from his ebony eyes, but I was in a trance like state. He looked back and forth, from monster to angel, as though he was trying to determine what to do next. With the grace of a gazelle, he hopped onto the beam and straddled it just below where our hands met. The atrocious bastard wasn't looking to help her. No, he wanted the drain the life out of her and throw the body to the side, leaving it in the ruins.

"Edward, my boy, let's have a drink from the lovely lady," his repelling voice croaked, making my hard skin crawl.

I shook my head in disgust and closed my eyes, wishing him away to no avail.

He arched brow in mock surprise. "No? Well, that's alright, lad. It won't be long, now." His spiteful laughter echoed in my head.

It took all of my being not to react to his taunts. I was bound and determined not to yield to him or my natural desires.

An overpowering aroma hit my nostrils and almost caused me to come unglued. I immediately held my breath and opened my eyes. The wretched creature had his twisted finger coated in her blood just under the tip of my nose. I swung my arm up to grab him by the throat, but he vanished into thin air, his laughter ringing in my ears.

My body shook uncontrollably as I fought the desire that raged within.

_I won't let this happen__ཀ __I will overcome it__ཀ_

I braced myself as I channeled every bit of energy I had to save her precious life. I was able to push beyond my need for her blood; she was the part of me I hadn't even realized had been missing.

My internal struggle left me exhausted. The only thing that kept me from giving up was the knowledge that she needed me.

I was hyperaware of every sound and movement that she made. The uncontainable tears that fell from her eyes, the moans she tried desperately to hide as they escaped from her lips, and her heart that raced saturated every fiber of my being.

After a few moments, I heard her take a gulp of air like she was getting the courage to speak.

"Do you know how long we've been here?" she asked with a tremor in her voice.

"I think a few hours. I'm not really sure," I said trying to sound vague. Changing the subject, I asked her about her broken arm.

"It's fine." I rolled my eyes at the obvious lie.

Was she just stubborn or maybe even brave? I nearly laughed when she responded with a huff like a two year old, after I told her that I was fine, too. The girl wasn't dim-witted. Anyone in our situation would be injured. We were just both too pigheaded to admit it to each other.

Without realizing it, I had begun stroking her hand with my fingers. Her soft, delicate skin molded itself to mine. Her once tiny goose bumps grew into large ones the size of dimes with each of my caresses of her hand. How I wished that it was from excitement of my touch, but I knew it was due to my cold skin.

I was confused about what to do for her. With my free hand, I gripped my hair in frustration. Her whimpers of pain were almost unbearable to hear. I would have given anything to stop it.

_Really, Cullen? Then why aren't you by her side instead of _laying_ here like the coward that you are?_

_I'm not a coward. I'm too weak to move. There's no way I can get us out of here._

I sighed because I knew that wasn't true. I really couldn't blame my physical condition. My fears were holding me back. Was I scared of her seeing me for what I was? A monster. Would she reject me, preferring to die than be with me? Was the thought of that worse than actually letting her die without attempting to do anything?

I was a coward, indeed.

We remained silent, lost in our thoughts.

Knowing she was slowly dying, and I had the ability to possibly save her while doing nothing, was excruciating. I knew I had two options for her to be able to "live," but I didn't like either one of them.

The temptation was overwhelming to go ahead and change her, so she could be mine forever, but I knew I couldn't live with myself knowing I hadn't given her a choice. Not only was the thought of her changing in front of my eyes terrifying, but the other alternative was more terrifying.

The second option…well, that was more risky than changing her. It could kill one or both of us. When it worked, it was rarely without major consequences. If by some slim chance the act saved her, she still wouldn't be free of me whether she liked it or not.

_Why can't this be simple? Does everything have to be so complicated? I've got to think of something else__ཀ_

Racking my brain for a solution, I began to wonder if Alice could see us in one of her visions.

_Maybe she would be able to help us get out of here? Would she be able to pinpoint our exact location? Who knows how many tons of rubble we're underneath? I'm sure my family could get us out, but how would they do so without being noticed? _

_Alice, please come save us__ཀ_

It took me a second before I had realized that the girl had become too quiet on the other side of the beam.

Shaking her hand to get her attention, I told her to stay awake.

"But I'm so tired. I just want to sleep for a few minutes," she mumbled.

_Please don't__ཀ_

"Noཀ I mean…um..," I said hastily. "What's your name?"

When she told me her name, I couldn't help repeating it. "Bella" rolled off my tongue

with such ease that I nearly started smacking my lips at the sweet sensation.

Her name flamed the desire to be near her even more.

_Bella, Bella, Bella…sweet Jesus, it's _perfect.

After I told Bella my name, I could have almost sworn that I heard her whisper it back to me.

She took a deep, shaky breath and released it.

When she asked me if I was hurt for a second time, I hesitated momentarily. I wasn't sure if I wanted to appear more injured than I was. Saying it was really bad might have scared her more. So I said that I was bruised, but alright.

Silence stretched between us.

She asked me questions about the last few moments before the second collapse. It pained me when she said that she remembered me pulling her through the rubble like a rag doll. After everything she had been through, I was surprised she remembered anything. I had _hoped_ she hadn't.

Instantly, I apologized for causing her so much pain.

"No…don't be sorry. You risked your life more than once for me, a total stranger who yells at you and demands you hold her hand."

The gratitude apparent in her voice melted my heart, and I just wanted to hold her in my arms.

I was so surprised by her graciousness; I could only get out "You're welcome".

_What's wrong with me? Why don't I just go to her? _

Still not willing to take that step, I asked her how she was doing, yet again. She didn't reply, but I could tell she was still awake.

Giving her hand a slight squeeze, I was baffled by how she was able lift her hand in such an uncomfortable position for so long. I knew I should have let go, but I refused to do so. Sadly, she soon attempted to release my hand. Without thinking, I quickly pulled it back. At once, I felt guilt for doing it, but still I didn't want to let go.

She sucked in a shaky breath at my abrupt grip. After, she told me she had something in her eye, shame filled me from head to toe. Reluctantly, I gently released her hand. It was like letting go of my heart and I ached to have it back.

I cringed after I heard her arm drop to her side like dead weight. I could only imagine how painful it was after being held in the same position for so long. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her pain was evident with each whimper that escaped her lips.

A faint, distant sound from above caught my attention. I closed my eyes to focus my hearing as far as I could. The muffled sounds of machinery and men talking brought hope to my heart. I didn't know how far up they were, but at least they seemed to be searching for survivors nearby.

_If she can hold on, maybe we can be saved before she gets any worse._

Before I had a chance to tell her, there was suddenly a stillness in the air that sent my senses reeling. Panic ignited every single cell as I commanded for her to stay awake.

My chest constricted and my gut wretched as she slurred her words, telling me she was tired.

_Don't panic….don't panic…_

"I can't talk anymore," she said in a faint whisper. I wouldn't have heard her if I had been human.

"Okay, can you give me your hand?" I reached my hand out, praying that the softness of hers would wrap itself around mine.

Nothing.

_Damn it, Cullen__ཀ __Go to her__ཀ_

"Bella, can you hear me?" I pleaded one last time.

Deadly silence weighed down the air as my world came crumbling apart.

The line drawn between myself and the possibility for love faded away. Not in my wildest dreams had I ever planned to fall in love with anyone, let alone a human.

_Love? How could I love someone that I have known for less than a day? Was it really love or just her scent practically bringing me to my knees? _

My craving for her blood was nothing like the raw emotions that she brought out in me. I've never been so petrified of something so intense, so real in all of my existence. None of it made any sense. But when it came down to it, I didn't want to know the what, when, where, why or how. She could reject me or laugh in my face, which was of no importance. It was futile to even try to make sense of it all. Nothing mattered, but Bella. I was truly ready to sacrifice myself for her.

My many years of walking the earth concerned only with myself and my family had brought too much loneliness that I was no longer willing to wallow in.

Those days were over.

I was ready to cross that line.

Her name reverberated from deep within my core, through my lips, and out into the darkened hell as I flew over the rubble to be by her side. Before I could reach her, the sound of her choking penetrated my ears. Landing on my knees, a ragged sob tore from my lips at the sight of _my _Bella. I was paralyzed with fear as I watched blood gush from her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror. The hand that had once held mine was wrapped around her exquisite throat. For once, I was frightened beyond measure.

Suddenly, the choking ceased and a look of peace came over her face.

She appeared to be staring straight into my eyes.

_Can she actually see me?_

All rational thoughts disappeared into darkness as I reached down and cupped her lovely face.

Reaching to hold the hand that held up her head, she let out a soft sigh and whispered, "Angela."

_Angela?_

As her hand slipped away from mine, she closed her eyes with a slight smile.

I could hear her heart slowing.

_No__ཀ _

At that moment, I knew I had no other choice.

_Please forgive me, my sweet Bella, for what I'm about to do. There's nothing in the world that I want more is for you to live…even if it's in a world without me._

I brought my wrist to my mouth and punctured it with my incisors. The blood trickled down my arm. Coating my finger with my blood, I gingerly opened her mouth and inserted it. I waited nervously for her to swallow.

"Bella, take itཀ Pleaseཀ"

_Come on, Bella__ཀ __Please__ཀ_

Much to my relief, she began sucking it at a steady pace. Her heart rate slowly increased and her color returned. She let out a moan when I took my finger out to put my wrist in place of it. Her mouth latched on instinctually like a newborn baby, causing me to jerk a little bit. I situated us so we were both lying on our sides. With her back pressed against my chest, her body seemed to naturally curve into mine. It was heavenly.

We became one as the glorious heat from her body seeped into my bones. I pulled her closer, enjoying the sensation of her soft body against mine. Burying my nose in her locks, I was overtaken by the perfect smell of her hair, her skin, her blood. Each pull of my blood was stronger than the last, and I reveled in the fact that I could help her, heal her. All I wanted in this moment was for her to survive. As my strength waned, the thought that this could be the only time I would hold her crossed my mind. I thanked heaven for the opportunity, all the while cursing the fact that I might never feel this again.

For once in my life, I was giving myself completely, heart and soul, to someone who needed me. Instead of being just one of the undead, I was a vessel of life for Bella.

I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on staying conscious, but my efforts were useless. For the first time in a century, I succumbed to the sweet blanket of darkness.

And I was happy to do so…

**7:15 P.M.**

**Alice**

A small breeze filtered through the shattered windows of our hotel room. Light from the glass on the floor reflected off the walls like diamonds. Any other day, this place would be swamped with humans investigating what had happened, but today wasn't any other day.

It was the end of the world as we knew it.

_Where is he? Where is he? _

I was driving myself crazy, almost to the point of insanity.

So many images flashed in my mind, but nothing of my brother. Jasper ran his fingers through my hair in an attempt to soothe me as I lay on my side curled up in a ball.

"Alice, you have to calm down," my loving husband whispered in my ear, gently pulling me to lay flat on my back. I fought to keep my eyes closed. What if I missed him? It was selfish to open my eyes when he was lost in the dark hole of what I could only imagine was hell.

I could hear Carlisle and Emmett strategizing on how to get to what the News was now calling Ground Zero without being noticed.

I willed my eyes open at my husband's encouragement. I was afraid to face my family, to see the hope and fear in their eyes. I knew they were desperate for me to give them any sign that their son, brother was still alive.

I had nothing to give them.

Seeing Jasper lovingly gazing down at me brought a glorious sensation of joy through my body that only he could give. He was sending me waves of calm, but it was more than that. He was my soul mate and my reason for living. With just a look, we could talk to each other.

I slowly sat up on the bed. My family was so engrossed in their activities that they hadn't noticed. Rose, her long blonde hand cascading down part of her face, was sitting in a chair staring at the television like her life depended on it. She seemed to be desperately searching for any sign of Edward in the images flashing across the screen. To my right, Esme was taking her time packing and cleaning up the shattered glass scattered all over the room. It was as though she knew that once she was finished cleaning, she would have to face the reality that laid before her.

Turning my head to look at Jasper, I could see it in his eyes that he wanted join the guys. I nodded for him to go ahead. His eyes lit up and he kissed the top of my head. I knew he wanted to help find Edward just as much as I did.

Suddenly, a tingling sensation started from my toes and quickly shot up to my head. The world around me quickly disappeared as a flash of Edward bending over a human girl took its place. I immediately scanned the girl's body and she appeared to be alive, but barely. I could see the pain in his eyes as he gripped his hair in frustration, but something was different that I couldn't put my finger on. Was he fighting the urge to harm her because of the family values he had been following for so long? Surely that had to be it. Although I hated thinking this, I really wouldn't blame him if he did take her life. She seemed to dying anyway and the selfish part of me wanted Edward to live no matter what.

Just when I thought he would kill her, he did something that nearly took my breath away.

He softly whispered the name Bella and lovingly brought her hand to his cheek.

_What?_

Love, fear, and determination flooded my senses all at the same time. It was such a rush that I fell back on my back.

Then he did something I never thought he or _any_ one of us would.

He sliced open his wrist and placed it to her mouth.

"No, Edward," I gasped, reaching out to his ghostly form.

I was dumbfounded. Giving a human your blood was dangerous and irreversible.

_Why would he do that?_

I sighed when a wonderful feeling of peace washed over me as I watched him bring Bella to his chest, closing his eye with a smile on his face.

He wanted to give his live in order to save hers.

With a sudden flash, the scene changed to something more horrific.

Bella, a look of terror on her face, was shaking Edward and screaming for him to wake up.

He laid there limp and appeared to not be breathing.

_Please, God, no__ཀ_

* * *

**A/N:** Yep. Another cliffy...but would you expect anything less? The best way to see how I'm doing with my chapters and such is to follow me on Twitter (martha8450). You will need to send me a dm to let me know you are a reader. My account is set to private.

Please reviewཀ They help keep me motivated.


	16. Chapter 14

Yeah…my mental issues got in my way when wanting to write this chapter. I had to commit myself to a mental hospital (Just call me Mental Martha) for six days and I'm still recovering.

1_**Previously...**_

Bella is injured and has a hard time staying awake. Edward tries to keep her awake, but she begins to choke on her own blood and her heart stops beating. Edward slices his wrist open with his teeth and offers it to her in order for her to survive. Alice has a vision of Edward lying on the ground with Bella screaming for him to wake up. Alice assumes Edward is dead.

**8:23 P.M.**

**Bella**

The liquid flowing down my throat was like sweet nectar from the gods. I couldn't help but sigh as I continued to nestle my lips around its source. It was so heavenly that I couldn't get enough. Every drop was divine.

I woke with a start; something was crushing my side like a dead weight. With one big push, I was able to get it off of me, taking the nectar with it...

I shot up to a sitting position, frantically searching the darkness. I instantly regretted moving so fast because I became light headed. I braced myself with one hand on the ground, trying to make the world stop spinning.

_What happened?_

Closing my eyes, images of horror raced through my head as I remembered how I ended up in this hell hole. People leaping to their death, Angela dying, breaking my arm….they all came rushing back to me. Fearing the unknown, I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes to witness what was left of my world.

_If I don't open my eyes, then it isn't real, right? _

The sound of my heart on the verge of exploding reverberated in my ears.

_Don't panic. Don't panic…_

I took several deep breaths, trying to compose myself. I knew I had no other alternative but to open my eyes. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. I nearly fell backward at the realization that I was no longer blind.

_Oh my God! I _can_ see again!_

Elation quickly changed to dread as I gawked at the destruction around me. For just a moment, I became claustrophobic and wanted to run. _But to where?_ I was surrounded by rubble and the entrance to the room I was in was blocked.

Regaining my senses, I searched over my body for injuries.

_Hold on…wasn't my arm broken?_

I looked down at my arm to examine it. To my surprise, nothing was wrong. I could bend or move it any way that I wanted.

_Wow! Am I dreaming? What was going on? Every inch of my body should be aching or I should feel some type of pain. But I'm fine._

Before I had a chance to investigate further, something physically began tugging at my core and pulling my attention to the right. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of legs. I slowly turned my head, praying that the person wasn't dead. His shoes and pants were covered in filth; his bare chest was exposed. To my amazement, my fingers twitched as I fought the urge to run them along the contour of his abs.

_What's wrong with me?_

Shaking my head, I looked up and saw his exquisite face.

_Edward…my angel…._

I don't know how I knew it was him, but I did. I inhaled deeply, letting his scent permeat my senses. He smelled like honeysuckle, lily of the valley and just baked chocolate chip cookies. I vaguely remembered his scent when he carried me close to his chest, but it was now a hundred times more powerful.

The world disappeared as heat enveloped my body and a rush of ecstasy filled the air. I braced myself as my soul, that had once been dormant, was rapidly being emptied and replaced with a new sense of freedom.

I dropped to his side, immersing myself in the new sensation of heaven. There was some type of physical connection that I couldn't explain. Needing to be closer to him, I almost climbed on top of him. It was as though we were meant to be as one.

I lovingly gazed down at his face; I couldn't help but smile as I whisked away a strand of his unruly hair. An electric hum sang throughout my body as the tips of my fingers briefly skimmed his skin.

_Such beauty…_

As I came out of my trance, I became conscious that he hadn't moved the whole time I had been with him.

_Is he breathing?_

My eyes immediately dropped to his chest, praying to see it moving. It looked like he was taking slow, shallow breaths. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he was alive.

"Edward," I softly whispered in his ear, gently rubbing his shoulder. "Edward, wake up. We made it. We're alive."

No response.

Trying not to drown in my panic, I looked around the room for a way to escape.

Noticing the numbered buttons on one side of the entrance, it appeared that we were in a freight elevator. I jumped to my feet, searching for a way out. I climbed over the debris to the door frame. For a split second, fear crept over me as I examined the entrance. It was blocked with rubble that spewed on the floor through the door. I was overwhelmed not knowing where to start.

With a look of determination, I grabbed the closest piece of rubble and started pulling. I knew that the pieces were too large and heavy for me to move but I tried anyway. To my surprise, I was able to move them with ease. Was it adrenaline causing me to have more strength? I had heard before that it could happen under extenuating circumstances.

As I was progressing, I would look back at Edward once in awhile, to see if he was still breathing.

_Edward, please hang on. I'm trying!_

Just as I was about to reach further into the hole, there was a sudden shift and a rumble that sounded like an avalanche. I quickly moved to the side, buttons pressing into my back, turning my head away from the destruction.

Once the dust settled and all was quiet, I looked to see that the entrance was right back to how it had been. This time, there was even more rubble on the floor than before.

_No! _

On the verge of crying, I slid down the wall as my will faded away. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I wept until there wasn't another tear to shed.

As my last tear dried up, I heard a husky voice whisper, "No".

My heart quickened at the sight of him holding out his hand to me.

I quickly crawled to him, scraping my knees and hands, stunned he was awake. Once I situated myself beside him, I cradled his head, turning his face toward me.

"Edward…" I said, trying to use a calm, soothing voice.

His thick, gorgeous eyelashes fluttered to show his eyes that were black as night.

Our eyes locked as he whispered, "Bella".

Hearing him whisper my name sent a jolt of happiness straight to my heart.

"Oh, thank god! I thought you were dead!" I nearly shouted with joy. I wanted to smother him in kisses. Instead, I placed his hand against my cheek.

A faint trace of a crooked smile appeared, and my heart melted. Gazing into his eyes, I could see they reflected the love I felt for him. Closing my eyes for a moment, he drew his finger lightly down my cheek. A heated sensation spread across my body, and I was genuinely in heaven.

_This is it. This is what I've been missing all my life._

He was my _everything_.

Suddenly, his electric touch left from my cheek, taking my heart with it. I blinked my eyes open, briefly stunned to see my love lying there motionless.

_No!_

He wasn't breathing. I scrambled to my knees, listening to his chest for a heartbeat.

There wasn't one.

He was gone.

Before I had time to scream, a surge of panic engulfed me as I thought about performing CPR. I never took a course on it, but Charlie did attempt once to show me how. I had to try. I had to do _something. _

_Oh, God, let this work…_

I scrambled back on my knees, praying they wouldn't give out on me.

Lifting his chin, I pinched his nose and placed my mouth on his. His lips were so cold that it sent a shiver down my spine. While breathing air into his lungs, l glanced at his chest and saw that it was slightly rising.

I quickly sat up seeing if he was breathing on his own.

He wasn't.

"Damn it, Edward, breath! Please!_"_

With adrenaline running rampant in my system, I placed my hands on top of each other and put them in the center of his chest. I did several compresses, followed by two breaths. I did this over and over, again. After what it seemed like forever, my arms finally gave out on me. Overcome with grief, I started beating on his chest with my weary arms.

"You can't leave me! I just found you!" I wailed.

I stopped as hopelessness engulfed every fiber of my being; I dropped my face into my hands, while my shoulders heaved uncontrollably. With my head bowed in defeat, I realized that my reason for living now lay dead in front of me.

All of life seemed pointless. What little faith I had left in God disappeared into the darkness. I could only assume we were buried in tons of rubble. If there was anyone looking for us, I seriously doubted that they would make it in time to find us alive.

_How could this person suddenly be my reason for living? Was it because he saved me so many times? Was it this strange physical bond that caused me to no longer want to live without him?_

Looking at his face, I ran my fingers through the waves of his hair, enjoying how soft it was. Closing my eyes, I slowly bent over and brought my lips to his. A moan escaped from my mouth. Although his lips were cold, they still melted my heart. It might have seemed strange to others, but it felt so natural to me.

Gazing at his face one last time, I noticed my tears had fallen there. It was like seeing an angel cry. I gave a weak laugh as I wiped them away. Lying down beside him, I wrapped his arm around my waist. With my head on his chest and my arm across it, I felt I was truly home for the first time.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the outside world to end.

Mine already had.

**8:55 P.M**.

**Edward**

The sensation of Bella's drinking from my wrist was quite hypnotic. The sound of each gulp was like music to my ears, knowing it was bringing her back to life, drop by drop. I became weaker with each pull of her lips, but I was content in the fact that she was getting stronger.

Just when I was about to lose total consciousness from the loss of blood, Bella suddenly push me off of her and onto my back.

_How did she do that?_

I held back a scream when my backside hit the floor. Every part of my body ached and I couldn't do anything about it. I was so weak; I didn't think I could open my eyes to see my Bella. All I could do was breathe to at least let her know that I was still alive.

_Bella, I'm still here! Look at me!_

I didn't know why I was so desperate for her to know I was still alive. A part of me wanted Bella to know so she would know that she wasn't alone. But the other part knew it was wrong to give her false hope of me surviving.

Bella was breathing heavily and she whispered something amazing.

"I can see."

_Incredible. _

Inside, I was jumping for joy knowing that my blood had brought back her eyesight. A vampire's blood was known to heal human cuts and broken bones if the human received enough of it, but I would have never dreamed that she would be able to see again.

Unexpectedly, I became apprehensive about her really seeing me for the first time.

_What will she think of me? Will she be frightened by my unnatural pale skin? _

I've never had a reason to be worried about my appearance, but this was different.

This was _Bella._

She almost sounded giddy when I heard her flexing her fingers. I focused my attention to her heartbeat, which appeared to be strong and healthy. As far as I could tell, the intake of my blood seemed not to have a negative effect on her.

There were possible consequences of a human drinking vampire blood. The drinking of vampire blood wasn't an exact science; too much at one time or the possibility of a small amount of venom in the blood could kill a human. Not only that, but it could make them to go insane.

Abruptly, she froze.

_What's wrong with…_

A shock wave of desire slammed into me, taking over me. A magnetic energy wrenched my core, leaving me desperate for her touch. Though she was only a few feet away, it felt like miles. This was more intense than my desire for her earlier and I knew, at that moment, my blood coursing through her veins was becoming one with hers. Her fear, panic, and desires inundated me all at once. This was part of the blood bond I had heard about many years ago. Although, our bond wasn't complete without me taking in her blood. I wouldn't take the risk of possibly of accidentally draining her.

_What would it be like if I completed the blood bond by doing so?_

The thought of it set a wave of heat that almost made my toes curl. I nearly jumped out of my skin when she suddenly gasped.

She inhaled deeply as she dropped to her knees beside me. An electric hum sang through my body as she ran her fingers through my hair. Her flowered breath flowed across my face as she whispered in my ear to wake up, causing me to almost swoon from intoxication.

I didn't respond to her request and panic swiftly pervaded the air. She quickly got on her feet and stood there for a moment. My curiosity was killing me not knowing what was going on with her. I felt the fear and panic, but I wanted to know what she was thinking.

I quickly peeked through my eyelashes and saw her moving the rubble that was blocking the doorway. I was surprised on how she was throwing things around with such ease. I almost jumped out of my skin when there was a sudden shift and a rumble that sounded like a landslide. Through the dust in the air, I saw that she was alright although visibly shaken. With the look of defeat, Bella slid down the wall, buried her head in her hands, and wept. Each whimper tortured my soul and I couldn't take seeing her like that anymore.

"No," I wheezed, barely holding my shaking hand out to her.

Shock swept over her face as she gasped. While she hurriedly crawled to me, I couldn't help but grin. It was so good to see her without pretending to be unconscious. Bella smiled and gingerly placed her hand under my head, cradling it. Our eyes locked as she whispered my name.

"Bella," flowed from my lips naturally.

Her eyes lit up as she brought my hand to her face. It was then I decided that I wasn't going to let her see me die a slow death. She didn't deserve to witness my real death. I couldn't help but give her another weak smile. Looking into her eyes, they reflected the love I felt for her. Much to my surprise, her eyes said the same thing.

Instinctively, my fingers traced the outline of her cheek. Closing her eyes, she purred like a kitten.

It was time to let her go. Going against my heart's desires, I dropped my hand to my side. It was cold and empty without her touch. With one last breath, I exhaled, letting go of everything.

It might have seemed like a cruel thing to do, but I didn't want for her to really witness my slow and painful death.

_Maybe if she thinks I'm dead then she'd try to get out to safety and leave me behind._

Her futile attempt to give me CPR was heartbreaking. If I had the ability to cry, it would have happen right then and there. Each thrust stabbed my soul. I wished I was already dead.

Her cries of sorrow engulfed me as she struck my chest with her tiny hands. It fueled the self hatred I already felt for myself.

_I deserve this! I am a monster!_

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, an eerie silence filled the air as her breathing and heartbeat slowed down to a steady rhythm.

_How did she go from panicking to being calm within seconds? Something isn't right._

Running her fingers through my hair, each strand seemed to come to life. It was like having an angel brush my hair. Then she did something I thought would never happen.

She kissed _me_.

Oh, but it wasn't just a kiss. It was _the_ kiss. The kind you only read about in fairytales. The one that makes the world disappear. The kiss from your true love. It was all of those things wrapped into one. Our lips met for only a few seconds, but it would last me a lifetime. When she moaned, I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around her and never letting go.

Her tears rained down on my face and she gingerly wiped them away. I almost shuddered when she placed my arm around her waist. It was so tiny and delicate; my fingers ached to hold her closer. Lying on her side, she rested her head on my chest and her arm across it.

_How can ecstasy be such torture?_

Here I was with Bella crying in my arms and all I could do was lay there, pretending to be dead. It was shameful. But on the other hand…she was in _my _arms voluntarily and I was euphoric.

She must have been exhausted for she quickly fell asleep. The steady sound of her breathing against my chest brought me a sense of relief knowing she was resting safely in my arms.

I couldn't help but gently grip her hip to move her little closer to me as the groove of her body blended with mine. Suddenly, she stretched her leg over me like she was hugging a body pillow. With almost all of her body on top of mine, I had a very hard time restraining myself from crushing her to me.

_Oh, good lord!_

Her peaceful sleep only lasted a few minutes until she started making jerky movements and whimpered, "No". She appeared to be having a nightmare. Not wanting to give up holding her in my arms, I quickly started humming an unfamiliar melody in hopes of calming her down. Each note filtered from my heart to my throat, slow and sweet like pouring honey from a jar. Within seconds, her body relaxed and her breathing steadied. It was as though the lullaby was soothing. I swore I felt her smile against my chest.

_Did I just call it a lullaby?_ Sure, I've created hundreds of songs in my head, but a lullaby? It wasn't just a song, but _her_ song. As each note appeared, it was forever embedded in my heart. Yes, it was indeed her lullaby.

"Edward," Bella tenderly murmured against my chest, sending me straight up to cloud nine. Lying there with my girl in my arms for hours was worth the "sacrifice" I was making. Each minute that ticked by was precious. Just knowing that I saved her life and that she possibly loved me was more than I could've ever wished for.

I would die a happy man.

A/N: Read Spring Break outtake to see what she was dreaming about. .?sid=11412 We're getting close to the end, folks.


	17. Chapter 15

**Previously….**

_**Gazing at his face one last time, I noticed my tears had fallen there. It was like seeing an angel cry. I gave a weak laugh as I wiped them away. Lying down beside him, I wrapped his arm around my waist. With my head on his chest and my arm across it, I felt I was truly home for the first time.**_

_**I closed my eyes, waiting for the outside world to end.**_

_**Mine already had**__._

1**Chapter 15**

**4:37 A.M.**

**Bella**

_Lying in my meadow, the cool breeze that sang to me, almost lulled me to sleep. I felt as though I was floating weightlessly through the clouds. A melody, just beyond the tree line, wafted through the trees and into the meadow. It was intoxicating and tantalizing. The hum from the melody was so soothing that I felt it wrap itself around me. _

_Then a figure emerged from the forest and I couldn't believe my eyes…_

_It was Edward._

_Within seconds, Edward was by my side before I had a chance to blink. _

_I laid there motionless, not knowing what to do. He gently pressed his hand behind my shoulder to help me sit up. To my surprise, my body responded to his touch like it was on fire. I looked down shyly, playing with a stray piece of thread coming from the blanket we were sitting on. I could feel his breath on the top of my hair as he inched closer to me. He tilted my head up so I could look into his eyes. He had one brow arched like he was curious to see what my reaction was going to be. His eyes were bright green with a splash of hazel in the center. My eyes drifted down to his ruby red lips. I licked my lips nervously in response to his crooked smile. I sat there and stared, too dumbfounded to say anything. He slowly leaned in as though he was going to kiss me. My eyes remained opened, lost in his. I held my breath as though I'd waited all my life for that moment…_

Just as his lips were about to touch mine, he slowly faded away along with the melody. I reached out to touch him, but he was already gone.

My body jerked as my eyes popped open from my dream. I blushed when I noticed my lips were puckered against something very cold, ready for his kiss that would never be.

My arm and leg were draped over something firm that was definitely not a pillow. I slowly sat up, trembling with fear. Something slid off my waist with a great thud as I got on my knees. I looked behind me to see it was an arm. I quickly turned and realized that Edward's body was lying in front of me. I lowered my head in defeat as I remembered where I was, and why he wasn't moving. Tears sprung from my eyes as I drew my legs up to my chest; my chin rested on my knees. I couldn't help but stared at Edward's face with tenderness. My chest felt heavy and weighted like something heavy was pressing down on it. Each breath was slow and purposeless. Numbness took a hold of my body and didn't let go.

My heart felt as if it had been stabbed with a knife and left to bleed. The man who could have possibly been a part of my life lay dead before my eyes. Did he feel the same connection that I felt before he died? Surely it wasn't all in my head. The way he gazed into my eyes, and the way he held my cheek for just a moment had to have meant something. The physical need for his touch that my body craved and the ache in my chest had to be real.

_Why am I mourning for someone I barely had a conversation with? Why am I drawn to him like moth to a flame, even though he's gone?_

Since I floated in and out of consciousness during this whole ordeal, I wasn't sure how many times he'd saved me from death. It had to be fate, although fate was definitely merciless. My emotions were spiraling out of control. Anger swept over me as I pounded my fist into the debris on the ground like a toddler throwing a fit in a store. I didn't know what else to do but to cover my face with both of my hands and scream into them, unable to deal with so many different emotions. Once my sobs subsided, depression came creeping back. My spirit was crushed and my body felt as though it was being pulled low to the ground. My heart could've stopped beating for all I cared. Nothing mattered now that he was gone.

I laid on my back, staring at nothing. I didn't move for what seemed like hours. Bits of shattered glass and debris dug into my backside, but I didn't care. Even though he was dead, I couldn't stop my fingers from brushing against his cold hand. I couldn't comprehend why I still had the desire to touch him, but I did.

With a heavy sigh, I sat up and brushed the dirt from his face.

"What's done is done. I can't change anything. This might sound crazy or maybe a little insane, but I love you, Edward. Always..."

**4:52 A.M.**

**Edward**

As Bella began to stir, I closed my eyes and stilled my body to appear dead. I quickly loosened my grip of her hip, even though I never wanted to let go. My time with her was over too soon.

Her eyelashes fluttered against my bare chest as she opened her eyes. She quickly stiffened and sat up. Her heart was racing ninety miles an hour.

First she whimpered, then it built up to something more. After she released the most tormented scream and began to pound her fist on the ground. My heart sank to my stomach. It was so excruciatingly painful to hear her wail that I felt it in my bones. The worse part was that there was nothing I could do about it, but lay there and listen to her agony. Before long, her cries subsided and she stilled, not saying a word. Panic engulfed me as I waited for any sign of what she was going to do next.

After a while, she let out a big sigh as though she had given up. What she did next blew me away.

Not only did she kiss me before she fell asleep earlier, but she said those three little words that thought I would never hear.

"…I love you, Edward. Always…"

I couldn't believe my ears! Was I the one who was now hallucinating? Did she really say that she loved me? I never thought in a million years that that someone, other than my family, would say such a thing! A spark of excitement lit a fire within me. Oh, but the fire felt so good!

"Bella…," I whimpered, reaching out to touch her thigh.

"Fuck!" She shrieked as she jumped up and stumbled backward over the rubble until she hit the wall, almost knocking the breath out of her. She slid down to the floor.

"I don't understand….you…were…dead," she stuttered, gripping her hair in frustration.

"Not exactly," I admitted. A feeling of shame spread through my body.

"Yes, you were! You had no heartbeat and you weren't breathing! I'm not fucking crazy! You can't just magically be alive after not breathing for so long. This doesn't make sense!" Bella spat as she waved her hand wildly at me.

"If you are really alive, then get up! Show me because I'm about to lose it!" she spat.

Praying that I could stand for her, I attempted to sit up only making it half way before collapsing on my back. Pain shot down my spine as my body made contact with the floor. I was too weak to do anything.

Suddenly, she got a strange look on her face; her eyes appeared glassy.

"I must be hallucinating, because this shit can't be real. Yeah, that's it," she whispered.

She crawled to my side, smiling down at me as she held my hand and held my cheek with the other.

"Oh, but what a wonderful hallucination this is. If insanity makes this real, so be it. I'll take insanity over reality if it means I get to be with you," she said, bringing my hand to her lips and kissing it.

_Oh, Bella. _

"Bella, I'm really here with you. You aren't hallucinating or dreaming. I'm alive," I croaked.

Wanting to reach out and hold her close, I gathered enough strength to squeeze her hand. She blinked a couple of times like she was waking up and processing what I was saying.

"But…" Her shaky, weaken voice finally seemed to falter.

"I know this is all confusing, but I don't have a lot of time and…,"

My chest tightened and I sighed. I couldn't lie to her anymore. I mustered up the energy and courage to tell her the truth.

I was so desperate for her to know the truth that the words came pouring out of my mouth without censorship. I told her about what little I remembered from my human life, how Esme changed me, how my family came to be, and how I had been lost all my life until she came along.

With each passing minute that went by, her facial expressions went from a look of confusion to a blank stare. She was frozen like a statue. For a split second, I wondered if she was still breathing.

Before I had a chance to declare my love for her, she turned ghostly white and lurched forward on her knees to throw up, but she dry heaved instead. Her heart pounded wildly as she gasped for air. In between breaths, she peeked at me through her strands of hair that were hanging down in front of her face. What I saw broke my heart.

Her eyes had a look of horror and disgust.

I wanted to die right then and there.


End file.
